Wednesday, November 21, 2001
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Wednesday, November 21, 2001 |
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Government cable channel to launch soon By DAVE
HAMRICK
It's getting easier to find out what's going on with your county government. Fayette County's Web site has eliminated much of the need for phone calls to county offices, and soon you'll be able to get information by switching on your television if you have cable TV. "It could be as soon as mid-December," said County Manager Chris Cofty. Federal regulations require that cable companies provide channels for use by local governments, to get information to residents, but until recently AT&T Broadband, Fayette's cable provider, has been unable to comply with that. The company's decades-old system couldn't provide enough channels. With AT&T's recent upgrade to fiber-optic cable, more channels are now available. The company is providing $12,660 so the county can buy the equipment needed to make use of the government access channel. "We've ordered the equipment," said Cofty, "and AT&T's target date to tie the fiber link [at the County Administrative Complex] to the access channel is Dec. 1." Once the equipment is in place, any county department will be able to use the channel to make announcements of upcoming meetings and programs and communicate with residents about changes in services, burning bans and the like. The equipment also could be used to televise government meetings and make live announcements, if county officials decide to go to that extent, but there are no plans for that at this point, said Cofty.
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