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Washoe County is in the process of negotiating a new franchise agreement with Charter Communications to provide cable services for its unincorporated areas, including Incline Village.
County spokeswoman Kathy Carter, one of three county officials taking part in the negotiations, said Charter may expand its services to broadcast local meetings on its community station.
"I'm envisioning that IVGID board meetings, Washoe County town hall meetings, CAB meetings and any other public meeting (might be broadcast)," Carter said.
Charter spokeswoman Marsha Berkbigler said Charter-provided funding for public broadcasting was one of the major issues at the negotiations.
Washoe County currently receives $400,000 annually from Charter for the service agreement.
A previous agreement, which had been in place for 15 years, expired in 2004, and the county has been operating a month-to-month arrangement.
Some believe Incline can do better.
"I'd like to see the community have its own Internet infrastructure and that can either be owned by IVIGD," said Erik Fair, a semi-retired software engineer and Incline resident. "If IVGID owned it, we would have the ability the negotiate as a community."
Indeed, county spokeswoman Carter said the cable industry continues to grow stronger lobbying on the state and even federal level, and that has weakened the county position as it comes to the table for a new agreement.
Some say the time to act is now.
"All the information services that we see today, cable, telephone, Internet, are either already digital or are going to be within the next couple of years, Fair said. "I think it's important for us to begin to think of these services as a piece of our community infrastructure just like water, roads or sewers."
IVGID officials have in the past noted there is no move to put communication infrastructure under its umbrella.
Officials from both Charter and the county said a contract should be in place by the new year.
Staff writer Tom Meyer can be reached at 831-4666 ext. 112 or at tmeyer@tahoebonanza.com.
County spokeswoman Kathy Carter, one of three county officials taking part in the negotiations, said Charter may expand its services to broadcast local meetings on its community station.
"I'm envisioning that IVGID board meetings, Washoe County town hall meetings, CAB meetings and any other public meeting (might be broadcast)," Carter said.
Charter spokeswoman Marsha Berkbigler said Charter-provided funding for public broadcasting was one of the major issues at the negotiations.
Washoe County currently receives $400,000 annually from Charter for the service agreement.
A previous agreement, which had been in place for 15 years, expired in 2004, and the county has been operating a month-to-month arrangement.
Some believe Incline can do better.
"I'd like to see the community have its own Internet infrastructure and that can either be owned by IVIGD," said Erik Fair, a semi-retired software engineer and Incline resident. "If IVGID owned it, we would have the ability the negotiate as a community."
Indeed, county spokeswoman Carter said the cable industry continues to grow stronger lobbying on the state and even federal level, and that has weakened the county position as it comes to the table for a new agreement.
Some say the time to act is now.
"All the information services that we see today, cable, telephone, Internet, are either already digital or are going to be within the next couple of years, Fair said. "I think it's important for us to begin to think of these services as a piece of our community infrastructure just like water, roads or sewers."
IVGID officials have in the past noted there is no move to put communication infrastructure under its umbrella.
Officials from both Charter and the county said a contract should be in place by the new year.
Staff writer Tom Meyer can be reached at 831-4666 ext. 112 or at tmeyer@tahoebonanza.com.
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