Free Cable for Firehouses Put at Risk by FCC Vote
- Agency votes to cut fees cable pays to cities and towns
- New York City frets over its network linking firefighters
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Cable systems around the U.S. provide towns and cities with public-access channels showing school board and city council meetings, as well as networks like one that keeps New York City’s firefighters connected to the internet.
The services are provided for free, but that may be about to change. The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday decided that cable providers such as Comcast Corp. and Charter Communications Inc. should assign a value to the channels and data networks, and then reduce fees owed to localities by that amount.