SCAT in national danger, rallies local support
By George P. Hassett

     Somerville Community Access Television (SCAT) is currently being threatened by bills in both the Senate and Congress that could undercut its funding and, thus, eliminate the 32-year old local public access station.
     The bill, s.1504, would, according to the bill, "eliminate government managed competition of existing communication service" and "provide parity between functionally equivalent services."
Essentially, the legislation would eliminate a requirement for telecommunications companies to pay franchise fees to local municipalities, said SCAT executive director Wendy Blom.

    These fees are required as compensation to the community for use of the public right of way through which the companies route cables and utilities. By eliminating the franchise fees, the bill will eliminate the only source of funding that the public access provider receives, she said.
    The motivation behind this act, she said, is the desire of telephone companies to get involved in broadcasting cable television.
    ‚ÄúVerizon is not used to following the normal provisions for cable television, so they are pouring money into this bill so they don‚Äôt have to pay 5% of their profits to local municipalities,‚Äù she said.
    The bill was filed by Republican Senators John McCain of Arizona and John Ensign of Nevada. Proponents of the legislation claim that the bills will breakdown monopolies in the cable industry and open the door to increased competition.
    ‚ÄúWe‚Äôre all for competition,‚Äù said Thomas P. Champion, a spokesperson for Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, who opposes the measure. ‚ÄúBut we want an even playing field where there are no special rules made for certain parties and we do not want to sacrifice the local coverage we enjoy now.‚Äù
Congressman Michael E. Capuano, D-Somerville, opposes the bill and said it is now being discussed in committee. He said public access television is vital to communication in America.
    ‚ÄúCommunication is no longer done by letter, but by more advanced mediums such as television and the internet. Public access television allows average citizens to be heard and gives them a forum to offer their opinions,‚Äù he said.
     According to its Web Site, SCAT‚Äôs first broadcast featured a tape, made by a local youth, of a dog peeing and a Marine enlistee swearing. Capuano said regardless of the particular programs on the station, it is worthy of his support.
    ‚ÄúNot everything on SCAT gets my approval, I think some of the programming is worthy and some is not. But that is the beauty of America, everybody has an opportunity to speak their mind,‚Äù he said.
     Appropriately, newcomers to America usually find public access television‚Äôs opportunities most appealing, said Blom.
     ‚ÄúImmigrant communities really embrace and enjoy public television,‚Äù she said. ‚ÄúWe have shows for and by immigrants on immigrant rights in this country. But we also have shows on the art and cultural aspects of their community too. We just try to be embedded in the community.‚Äù
Once a week Tedros Afeworki makes his way to SCAT‚Äôs Union Square studios to record his show,     ‚ÄúAsmara TV,‚Äù named after the capital of his homeland of Eritrea, an East African country. Afeworki was introduced to SCAT in 1994 when he was a senior at Somerville High. He began hosting and producing his show ‚Äì about arts and music in East Africa ‚Äì in 1998. Afeworki said that if the bill in Congress passes and SCAT comes to a close it will be a sad day for Somerville.
    ‚ÄúIt would be very, very bad to lose SCAT,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúOld people likee it, immigrants like it, everybody likes it. {SCAT} has taught me a great deal since I first came here, it would make me quite sad to see it disappear.‚Äù