Organizational Voting Member
Submitted by Cathy Edwards on Fri, 2011-03-11 20:23.Organizational voting memberships are intended for non-profit community television producing organizations, including corporations that contribute content that airs on cable-administered community channels, as well as those that hold their own over-the-air or digital cable licences.
Organizational voting members will receive our e-mail updates, newsletters, and be able to participate in discussion fora on our web site. Voting organizational members will have a vote at the Annual General Meeting on issues concerning CACTUS and will be able to elect board members.
This level of membership costs 0.5% of the organization's revenue, in recognition of the fact that much of CACTUS' national spokesperson's time is spent lobbying directly on behalf of these organizations, and promoting the exchange of relevant educational, technical, and professional information to develop the sector.
If your organization would like to become a voting member, click here:
Organizational Non-Voting Membership
Submitted by Cathy Edwards on Fri, 2011-03-11 20:18.Organizational non-voting memberships are intended for partner organizations or other groups like CACTUS that endorse media diversity, freedom of expression on all media, and Canadian content, but which are not directly engaged in the production of community TV.
Organizational non-voting members will receive our e-mail updates, newsletters, and be able to participate in discussion fora on our web site. Non-voting organizational members will not have a vote at the Annual General Meeting on issues concerning CACTUS nor to elect board members.
This level of membership costs $30 for one year.
We want to keep the cost low to encourage as much input into and awareness about the work of CACTUS as possible.
As we are engaged in a fund-raising campaign to enable our national co-ordinator to keep working, we do however encourage members to donate more than the minimal cost of membership if you are able.
If your organization would like to become a non-voting member, click here:
Individual Voting Member
Submitted by Cathy Edwards on Fri, 2011-03-11 20:12.Individual voting members receive our press releases, newsletters, and participate in discussion fora on our web site, including posting their own stories or topics for discussion. Voting members can also vote at the Annual General Meeting on issues concerning CACTUS and to elect board members for the new year.
Voting members should either be currently involved directly in community-access production, or have been directly involved in the past, committed to follow the day-to-day evolution of the sector, and able to give informed input at the AGM. Requests for voting memberships will be reviewed by the board. If we don't recognize your name or e-mail address, we'll contact you for more information.
This level of membership costs $20 for one year.
We want to keep the cost low to encourage as much input into and awareness about the work of CACTUS as possible.
As we are engaged in a fund-raising campaign to enable our national co-ordinator to keep working, we do however encourage members to donate more than the minimal cost of membership if you are able.
If you would like to become an individual voting member, click here:
Individual Non-Voting Membership
Submitted by Cathy Edwards on Fri, 2011-03-11 20:02.Individual non-voting membership will receive our e-mail updates, newsletters, and will be able to participate in discussion fora on our web site. Non-voting members may attend but will not have a vote at the Annual General Meeting on issues concerning CACTUS nor to elect board members for the new year.
This is the least expensive level of membership, and costs $10 for one year.
We want to keep the cost low to encourage as much input into and awareness about the work of CACTUS as possible.
As we are engaged in a fund-raising campaign to enable our national co-ordinator to keep working, we do however encourage members to donate more than the minimal cost of membership if you are able.
If you would like to become an individual non-voting member, click here:
Help Us Grow: Become a Member or Make a Donation
As we enter a new year, we face several challenges and opportunities:
- We have a new community TV policy that recognizes past problems with access to cable-administered community channels (CRTC 2010-622).
- We are part of an on-going process with the cable companies and the CRTC to see how this new policy can be applied. Will it lead to more genuine access to cable community channels? Can it be used to generate funding for non-profit, community-owned TV channels?
- We are also part of a broad-based industry and civil-society coalition asking for a national education campaign in advance of the digital TV transition. We see it as an opportunity to educate municipalities about their potential role as broadcasters and rebroadcasters.
- We are engaged in the spectrum auction design process for the former TV channels 62 to 69, to ensure that some of that spectrum is set aside for public uses, such as distribution of community content.
- And last but not least, we celebrate the CRTC's decision that will require Bell to offer independent community TV channels as part of its basic service! This decision was a direct result of CACTUS' intervention, and an endorsement of the importance of our fledgling sector.
To enable us to continue to grow, we need your help. Up until now, we have been a web site and an e-mail list of interested supporters. In 2010, we incorporated as a non-profit, with the following board of directors:
Cathy Edwards - national co-ordinator
Patrick Watt - representative of the Maritimes and over-the-air TV community licence holders
Ivan Traill - representative of the Prairies, over-the-air licence holder and cable co-operative community TV channel
Vancouver Community Television Association
The Vancouver Community Television Association produces an hour of weekly content broadcast on Shaw Cable 4 in Vancouver and Cable 11 in Victoria and on the Novus Entertainment Network
CACTUS Prepares Feedback for a Code of Best Practices for Cable Community Channels
As a result of the new community TV policy announced on Aug. 28th, the CRTC has asked cable companies to draft a code of access "best practices", and have sent to CACTUS and to the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec a draft for review by Jan. 20th.
While neither CACTUS nor the Fédération was initially invited to participate in the "industry working group" to generate the code, CACTUS drew attention to the oversight at the Shaw cable license renewal in September. The CRTC responded by requesting cable companies in the working group to consult us.
CACTUS is discussing the draft code within its membership and with interested parties. If you would like to be included in this process, please e-mail Cathy Edwards at cedwards at timescape dot ca.
CACTUS is delighted that the CRTC has acknowledged that the public should be included in decisions about governance of community channels.
Once the working group submits its final draft code to the CRTC at the end of February, it will be offered to the public for comment, at which time any member of the public can intervene directly.
CACTUS Brief for the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Nov. 2010
The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage conducted a study in the fall of 2010 into the role of the CBC, small and independent broadcasters, and new media platforms in an environment of increasing media ownership concentration. CACTUS presented both the challenges to community broadcasters of this environment as well as the important role the community sector could play to address these challenges.
CACTUS Comment on Local1 Application by Corus
CACTUS oral comments made in response to Public Policy Notice 2010-551, the application by Corus for a network of weather and local information channels. Since the proposed channels would be located in the same communities where there is currently a community channel facility operated by Corus' parent company, Shaw Communications, and since Shaw's community channels already offer a Local1-like combo of weather and community news, CACTUS was concerned that the license being sought would repurpose existing community channel content, without addressing the access problems on those community channels. (Although oral comments are typically limited to 10 minutes and may not be as detailed as written interventions, they are generally more up to date and can take into account and respond to positions presented by other parties. Both oral and written comments can also be found on the CRTC web site by searching by the notice number.)
CACTUS Oral Comment on Shaw-License Renewal 2010-497
CACTUS oral comments made in response to Public Policy Notice 2010-497, cable license renewals for Shaw Communications' 22 Western systems. Since Shaw appears to operate only 11 access studio facilities throughout these 22 license areas (and operated in excess of 50 in the 1990s), CACTUS requested that at least one access studio be maintained in each license area. (Although oral comments are typically limited to 10 minutes and may not be as detailed as written interventions, they are generally more up to date and can take into account and respond to positions presented by other parties. Both oral and written comments can also be found on the CRTC web site by searching by the notice number.)
