The Grand Rapids Community Media Center (GRCMC) is asking its supporters to send letters to Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow in opposition to two new Senate bills that threaten public access television. One of the bills, S.1504, introduced by John McCain of Arizona and John Ensign of Nevada, would would abolish cable television franchises and put cable television franchise fees, used to support many media centers, at risk. According to the GRCMC, the bills:

• Endanger & potentially eliminate the Community Media Center. Currently communities can negotiate for channel space and support of community media centers like GRCMC. If this legislation passes the number of PEG channels that communities can obtain would be substantially limited and the ability to seek operating support for the use of those channels would disappear.
• Provide no local protection. These bills hurt our community by removing local protection in terms of who companies must provide service to and who will speak for consumers. Companies will be able to "redline", eliminating service to areas they don't like. Instead of handling consumer complaints about service and rates locally, they will be handled hundreds of miles away at the FCC where the interests of Grand Rapidians will become lost in a sea of national and corporate interests.
• Essentially steal public property from our community. These bills would deny the city of Grand Rapids and other Michigan cities the right to manage and negotiate the rental value of precious public property, the public rights of way. Instead, these bills will give this public property away to huge corporations for little compensation.

You can read more about the the proposed legislation at Varnum Law or send a letter to Senator Levin and Stabenow