HomeMy WebLinkAboutM-81-0752CITY OF MIAMI. FLORIDA
INTER -OFFICE MEMORANDUM
TO. Jack Eads DATE August 26, 1981 FILE:
Assistant to the City Manager SUB,ECTAgenda item- Cable TV
(i FROM. Commissioner issioner Armando E. Lacasa REFERENCES: _
ENCLOSURES: 1
%i
I hereby request that a discussion of multiple liscencing for
the right and priviledge to erect, construct, operate and maintain
a cable television system in the City of Wami be placed on the
City Commission Agenda of September 10th, 1981.
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81 -754
` 81 -753
CITY OF MIAMI. FLORIDA
•, INTER -OFFICE MEMORANDUM
ro. Honorable Armando Lacasa
Commissioner, City of Miami
1. ImEmb
FROM George F. Knox, Jr�
City Attorney
DATE August 5, 1981 FILE:
SUBJECT: Request for Legal Opinion
regarding Cable Television
Licenses REFEREN1E$4iami City Code, Section 10. 5-31
ENCLOSURES:
This is in response to your inquiry of August 4, 1981 which raised
the following question:
WHETHER THE CITY OF MIAMI MAY ISSUE MORE THAN ONE
CABLE TELEVISION LICENSE PURSUANT TO THE CITY OF
MIAMI CABLE TELEVISION REGULATION ORDINANCE?
This question is answered in the affirmative.
Section 10.5-31, which describes the nature of the license, provides
in part:
"The right to use and occupy said streets for
the purpose herein provided shall not be
exclusive and the city expressly reserves the
right to grant a similar use of said streets,
alleys, public ways and places to any other
person or corporation at any time during the
period of this license."
Based on the above language, the City of Miami may grant more than
one license for the right and privilege to erect, construct, operate
and maintain a cable television system for the interception, sale,
transmission and distribution of television programs and other
audiovisual electrical signals and the right to transmit same to the
inhabitants of the City of Miami.
PREPARED BY:
HN J. LAN JR.
Assistant City Attorney
cc: Mayor Ferre
Honorable Members of the City Commission
City Manager
Tampa has novel cable
By TIM SMART
'11 dw ausirtess writer
TAMPA .. In Miami, they were
called rent -a -citizens and possibly
influence peddlers, prominent citi-
zens who knew little about elec-
tronic broadcasting but a lot about
the ways of back -room politics.
In Tampa, where a similar group.
of local big -wigs has been drafted
into the battle for this city's $100-
million cable television franchise, .
they insist on calling themselves
"kcal Investors."
" They disdain the derisive "rent -
a -citizen". tag. insisting instead that
their Involvement as ,minority in-
vestors in such communications -in-
dustry giants as Cox Cable Commu-,
nications and Storer Broadcasting
represents nothing more than
shrewd money -handling.
But they refuse to disclose how
much — If any — money they have
spent to buy into cable. The compa
lies have been equally tight-lipped.
"That is a competitive thing: peo-
bi�Bdrusee our
BruceBurnham.aCx
vice-president.
It may eventually come out, but
right now we consider that proprie-
tary," said H. Richard Eldredge, a
vjck4president of Miami -based
Knight-Ridder - Broadcasting.
Knight-Ridder .Broadcasting, a sub-
sidiary of .the newspaper #oup that
publishes- The Miami Herald, has
joined hands . with Norfolk -based
Landmark Communications to form
Bay Cable Associates. The firm's in-
terest in the Tampa market repre-
sents Knight-Riddees first venture
into cable television.
. City officials also seem uninter-
• to Need SuN-
ee
approach
Tampa is one of the last available major metropolitan cable TV markets.
' coed in the deals granted investors.
"It's been much moreimportant to
i
the newspapers than t' bas to us,"
said Bob Morrison; an aide to Mayor
Bob Martinez.
Tampa is approaching cable dif-
ferently than Miami did. Rather
than asking companies to submit
bids according to their own Idea Of
how the system should work, the
city hired national cable consultants
Malarkey -Taylor Associates to
draft an ordinance setting minimum
specifications for the system. The
companies then either will "meet or
exceed" those specifications, Morri-
SepP1,.
son said.
Ironically, edi-
Despite the novel approach to
toriaUy dger�the
cable franchising, the battle for
ctiizens""in"Miami. night-Riddei
-EU3it1E44
what is one of the last available
a s•haveia sown—lfi£%
major metropolitan cable television'
hesitancy in courting some of Tam -
markets in the country bears many
pa's most prominent and powerful
similarities to cable battles else-
citizens.
where.
Those signed up with Knight -
The controversial "rent-a-citi-
Ridder Include the chairmen of the
zen" issue is one similarity. The in-
city's housing and port authorities,
terest shown by giant newspaper
the former chairman of tha sports
publishing groups, including corpo-
authority and an architect. who Be-
rate relatives of the publishers of
signed the tallest building itr town.
The Herald,. The Atlanta Consiitu-
Despite that influential list of
tion and The Chicago Tribune, is
another.v
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81 - 754AdI�
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53
8i "752 '
ARNOLD 8c PORTER
CASLE:"ARfopo- 1200 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE, N. W. 1660 LINCOLN+STREET
TELECOMER:(202)672-6720 DENVER,COLORADO 6026A
WA5HtNGTON, D. C.20036
TELEx:89 2733 (303) 832-2900
(202) 872-6700
PAUL S.RYERSON
y? DIRECT LINE: (202) 672-6667
September 8, 1981
f;
George F. Knox, Jr., Esq. BY HAND
City Attorney
City of Miami
174 E. Fla ler Street
9
Miami, FL 33131
Dear Mr. Knox:
In accordance with our telephone conversation
(� today, this letter will confirm our opinion that no
provision in the proposed ordinance granting a non-
exclusive license to Ameri-Cable of Greater Miami to
construct and operate a cable television system, which
is to be considered by the City Commission on September
10, 1981, would legally prevent the City from deter-
mining to license additional cable systems within the
City of Miami.
On the contrary, Section 201(a) of the proposed
ordinance provides: "The privilege to use and occupy
[the City] streets for the purpose herein provided
shall not be exclusive and the City expressly reserves
the right to grant additional licenses for the use of
said streets, alleys, public ways and public places
to any other person or corporation at any time during
the period of this license."
Very truly yours,
Paul S. Ryers