Agenda - Council - 04/14/1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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DUNKLEY AND BENNETT LAW OFFICES April 6, 1981 Mr. Lloyd Schnelle City of Ramsey 15153 Nowthen Boulevard N.W. Ramsey, MN 55303 Dear Lloyd: You have requested information from me regarding the structure of the cable television franchise as it relates. to obscene or indecent material being sent over the cable system. First let me state that of the proposals in the major metropolitan areas of Minnesota that I have reviewed, none of the cable companies have offered what could be classified as pornographic material on any of their cable systems. In areas of the country where such information is provided, it is always a premium service. In other words, the individual receiving the raaterial must pay a special fee either for that particular channel or for that particular program so that you would not receive this material unless you wanted it and had paid for it. Additionally, there are two lock-out systems to prevent the receipt of this material by individuals. Parents may purchase a lock-out device that has either a key or a combination which can block out any programs the parent or guardian does not wish to be seen on that particular television set. This device has been requested in the Anoka/ Champlin/Ramsey area. Additionally, some systems provide a black out of a particular program directly at the central headquarters of the cable company so its program is not even broadcast over the channel of an unwanting recipient. Therefore, even though our system will not have what could be considered as pornographic material broadcast, parents or guardians could still lock-out undesirable materials such az violent shows, PG or R rated movies, or even religious thought which may be contradictory to that which a parent wants received into the home. The franchise also provides for extensive review of the performance of the cable company by the city council in