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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTelecommunications Board - Minutes - 02/08/19961 6 TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD MEETING MINUTES Regular Meeting - February 8,1996 7:00 p.m. Council Liaison: Chris Kneeland I Staff Liaison: Michael Gitter Chairperson: Lawrence Rowland Phone: 229-2280 (W) 226-2303 (H) Presiding Chair: Same Phone: A regular meeting of the Telecommunications Board was held on Thursday, February 8, 1996 in the Council Information Center of the Fort Collins Municipal Building. The following members were present: Hain, Maher, Powell, Rowland, Smith, and Wadas. Board Members Absent: Berman Staff Members Present: Eric Dahlgren, Light and Power Department Doug Fineman, ICS Department Michael Gitter, ICS Department Liz Stroh, ICS Department Dennis Sumner, Light and Power Department Others Present: Bob Carnahan, Columbine CableVision The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. The minutes of the January 11, 1996 meeting were approved as written. Bob Carnahan reported that due to some minor issues the sale of Columbine to TCl/Heritage has not yet been closed. The company continues to work on this, and Bob anticipates the sale to be completed this month. Liz reported a change in the schedule for the study session: the Telecom Policy study session has been moved from February 27, 1996 to March 26, 1996. The item is scheduled for public hearing at the April 16, 1996 Council meeting. The Board decided to begin their review of the Telecommunications Policy draft on page four with the Background section.The first three pages are an executive summary, and this . information is included in the main document. M . M Board accepted as written. No dissention. B. Policy Statements 1. Public Access to Information Board accepted as written. No dissention. 2. Privacy and Security Greg asked for clarification of the term "digital signature". Larry explained that it is a coded message attached to data transmitted over a network that verifies to the recipient that the sender is authentic. Ernie asked about the "sale of subscriber information". Doug explained this is the network equivalent of selling mailing addresses for commercial uses, except in this case e-mail addresses comprise the subscriber information being sold. Larry indicated there is currently litigation underway to determine the legality of selling subscriber information. Phil inquired about privacy legislation as it relates to e-mail. Tom indicated that provisions of the Open Records Act apply to e-mail that is saved. This applies to information that is backed -up before it is deleted. However, there is no legal requirement to save e-mail. Larry indicated the new Telecom Bill allows law enforcement agencies to tap telephone lines, and telephone companies must provide this capability. He expressed concern over the ability to tap other forms of electronic communication in a similar manner. The Board agreed that wording should be added to the policy to ensure the security, privacy, and confidentiality of electronic information, as per the Open Records Act. Electronic information should have the same protections under the law as other forms of information. 3. Universal Access to Telecommunications Services The Board agreed the first bullet point should be deleted. In the second bullet point, add "education" to business and government. In the third bullet point, Greg suggested broadening the statement to include wire and wireless technology. Doug suggested replacing the word wireless with "coverage", and the Board agreed to this change. Also, add "with adequate bandwidth for modem bi-directional communications" to the end of the bullet point. Ernie asked for clarification about fees or charges to fund universal service provision. Liz explained that a universal service fund is set up to help pay for service provision for unique situations, such as to remote locations, etc. The Board agreed to delete the first bullet point on page 10. The last bullet point should be changed to read "any" network. 4. Expand Telecommunications Service Opportunities in Fort Collins Board recommended to change first bullet point to read "help preserve the natural environment..." instead of "improve the natural environment...". Otherwise, Board accepted as written. 5. Roles of the City in Regulatory Structure Greg brought up a concern about radio frequency (RF) density and health issues around transmission towers. Michael read an article to the Board that indicated cities may not regulate zoning of telecommunications structures on the basis of RF density. This falls under FCC regulations. Tom suggested that language be added to the policy that conveys the City's independent concern about RF/electromagnetic proliferation. The Board agreed to this. In the third paragraph, first sentence of the background information, "fiber-optic lines" should be replaced with "telecommunications facilities". Phil requested that positive language concerning zoning requirements from the second paragraph be carried down to the first bullet point. Tom recommended that higher education be specifically included in the definition of PEG. The new national Telecom Bill defines the educational component of PEG as grades K-12, which effectively excludes higher education. Michael suggested adding a glossary to the policy document to define terms like PEG. Larry stated that the meaning of the last bullet point concerning collection of sales tax revenue was unclear. He took it to mean that the City is seeking to collect sales tax from merchandise sales made by via telecommunications media above what is currently allowed. Doug explained this was not the intent. Larry suggested that the intent of this bullet point is that use of electronic media should not be a way to circumvent current applicable tax laws. The City should be able to collect sales tax revenue from merchandise sales made by businesses that occur in the City, or merchandise sales made by businesses headquartered in the City. The Board will continue its review of the Telecom Policy starting with item 46 at the next meeting. 54JUSIMMIRMUMMI The Board would like a summary of the national Telecom Bill. The next meeting will be on Thursday, February 29 at 7 p.m. The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m.