https://youtu.be/1nRDtLeYW-c New York Attorney General sues Spectrum/Time Warner over too slow speeds.
This information should disturb every single customer of New Spectrum/Charter, and resident of Little Falls, Mn.
Mayor Greg Zylka intends to DELETE the city Cable Review Board. After Norman Sandberg resigned from the Cable Review Board, the Mayor stated publicly that he had a replacement for Norm Sandberg's place on the board. It now appears the Mayor was lying. There has never been a replacement for Norm's position. Then the president of the Cable Review Board, Jason Spillum, resigned and was never replaced. And now the Mayor has decided to eliminate the oversight board completely. Was he unable to get new members? Or has he along with city administrator Jon Radermacher, decided to just get rid of the board?
Now why would the Mayor Greg Zylka promote DELETING the Cable Review Board ORDINANCE?
Because the city does NOT want to obey their own laws, nor hold the board accountable to fulfill their duties. The city is turning a blind eye to the mismanagement/corruption of Great River Arts Association's employee (public access tv manager Mark Slupe). And his numerous violations of their own policies and procedures. The city does not care if GRAA is not adhering to their policies. The city Cable Review Baord REFUSES to hear legitimate complaints about Mark Slupe videotaping and then airing illegal videos for the Shoppes of Little Falls(a profit making venture, owned by Susy Prosapio), and then later airing commercial ads for Sprout(another profit making entity) and Mississippi Marketplace(for profit making also). The city does not want to hear that Mark Slupe refused to allow the use of my own videocamera in the public access television studio, to record what he calls our own productions. He said I could no longer publish them on any form of blog or social media, after allowing this for years. The reason......I recorded him saying things to me that he didn't want the public to hear. The city doesn't care, if Mark Slupe has performed "extras" for Camp Ripley, that he refused to perform for Theresa and my shows. During the last year, Mark videorecorded/then edited the Ripley Reporter show, adding all kinds of bells and whistles including videoclips provided by Camp Ripley of explosions, training exercises, a bear crossing the road and more.....all following Slupe telling us he would not do anything for us, other than start and shut off the camera and upload the films we recorded onto channel 180 public access tv.
If you remember, a few years back, the city DELETED the Golf Advisory Board as well. That board NEVER fulfilled it's requirement of meeting once per month. Sometimes there were YEARS in between their meetings. Public taxpayer money funds the city owned golf course and it's consistent financial losses. An oversight board needs to be in place where ever there are public funds. This is the only path to full disclosure and transparency.
So what's next? There are 9 other boards including Airport, Economic Development Authority, Energy and Environment, Historic Preservation Committeed, Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Library, Park Rec and Tree, Planning and the Equalization Board.
Are they next on the chopping block? And if not, why not?
The 2 films above of the Shoppes of Little Falls were filmed, produced, edited, and aired on channel 180....illegally. I was there the day Mark was filming this production. He closed the studio doors in my face and told me to leave. I was there to deliver some videos I wanted him to play on channel 180. The policies and procedures of Great River Arts TV forbid airing or producing films for profit making. Shoppes of Little Falls has ALWAYS BEEN A FOR PROFIT BUSINESS. It's sole purpose is to help individual artist/business owners, including Susy Prosapio, to make a profit. That is why every artisan allowed to exhibit there, has to possess a valid Minnesota Sales Tax ID.
And if that's not enough, the city is allowing New Spectrum/Charter to use the public right of way to operate their business, without the REQUIRED BY LAW Franchise Agreement.(Mn. Statute 238). The old Franchise Agreement expired on May 15, 2015.
What I want to know is how can New Spectrum/Charter collect Franchise Fees and Peg Fees with NO FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. I believe the city is allowing Charter to collect more than 100k in fees illegally every year, from customers like me and more than 2000 others.
Charters user rates just increased also. Why? Because they can. They know they have a monopoly here.
This will become another stain on this community. Another proof that the city is operating behind closed doors....and they want to keep it that way. Below the board in every possible way is no way to operate a city. Shame on Mayor Zylka, Leif Hanson(Cable Review Board member), city administrator Jon Radermacher and anyone else involved with this decision. The customers of Charter and the public deserve better leadership and management.
