The Comcast agreement should not be renewed for the reasons stated below.
Comcast is allowing censorship, bigotry, and discrimination to continue on
their Cable station by those that run the programming there at AF-TV, and by
doing so are not upholding their own rules. By continuing to act in this
manner our licensing Board the BOS shouldn't be approving their license until
that problem is solved.
Here is part of the Comcast agreement.....What is said here is NOT being
applied at AF-TV their local public representative.
Section 6.14- CENSORSHIP.
“Neither the Licensee, nor the Town and/or its designee s shall engage in any
program censorship or any other control of the content of the PEG Access
Programming on the Cable System, except as otherwise required or permitted by
applicable law”.
Interesting isn't it....In theory Comcast is against censorship but in reality
they are allowing it by not policing AF-TV.
Since the Town of Framingham uses the “designee” AF-TV as its provider for
public access then it is violating its part of the contract by not upholding
Section 6.14 CENSORSHIP. This is discriminatory, violates all FCC rules for
Cable programming and violates our civil rights as to freedom of speech and
what can be legally played on local cable.
“Freedom of expression isn't just a peculiarity of European and American
culture. It is enshrined in the U.N’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
which says: ”Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression: this
right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek,
receive and impart information and ideas though any media and regardless of
frontiers.
Some brief history here.....
My brother have been involved in local access cable production since 1991. We
originally produced a cable show on our towns history that was very fulfilling.
Years later we got into specific political issues, one dealing with the problem
of illegal immigration in our town and did a show called "illegal immigration
chat" around 2004. It caused a lot of stir in the town but it was tolerated.
We recently produced 4 cable shows in our local town of Framingham Mass that
dealt with all different topics, History, Conspiracies, Church history, WW2,
The Holocaust, environmental, pretty much anything interesting, Not your
typical Cable TV programming, some topics are very controversial. We even had
a show touching on religious issues, creation, archeology etc...and of course
the latest town news topics. We have produced thousands of videos since 1991.
Long story shot, all the shows were illegally pulled off the air for 18 months
July 18, 2014 by the local cable access station AF-TV in Framingham MA.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20140729/NEWS/140726770/0/SEARCH
Why? Because we dared to tell the truth and one religious minority decided
they didn't like the content. FCC rules are pretty straight forward on a
shows content and what can be said on TV... Consider these rules
carefully......This is what can be put on local cable TV
FCC Rules 101
"Criticism, Ridicule, and Humor Concerning Individuals, Groups, and
Institutions. The First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech similarly
protects programming that stereotypes or may otherwise offend people with
regard to their religion, race, national background, gender, or other
characteristics. It also protects broadcasts that criticize or ridicule
established customs and institutions, including the government and its
officials. The Commission recognizes that, under our Constitution, people must
be free to say things that the majority may abhor, not only what most people
may find tolerable or congenial"
Our shows obviously fulfilled this role of our rights to free speech.
Why is this important....
Oliver Wendell Homes said...
"If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls or
attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought -- not free
thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate."
It has become apparent that our AF-TV Access Framingham TV cable station
doesn't want to adhere to these beliefs and principles. They have their own
agenda of what should be played on the local cable TV station, and who actually
makes these decisions.
Since the basis for complaints from AF-TV consisted of our shows CONTENT that
would mean that censoring us for CONTENT violates our rights of free speech
because CONTENT centers around opinions that can vary from every person. Since
that is true, then maybe you can see the common sense in a landmark Supreme
count decision in 1943 by Justice Robert Jackson that centered around the
Pledge of Allegiance, it stated:
“....that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in
politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens
to confess by word or act their faith therein”
We feel that the AF-TV decision failed us in all these areas including the town
Selectpersons who in a letter back to us defended AF-TV in suspending all our
shows, again please re read the words of Justice Robert Jackson. I guess
they must of missed these words....
“....that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in
politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens
to confess by word or act their faith therein”
Our shows contained opinions of “POLITICS, NATIONALISM, RELIGION and OTHER
MATTERS of OPINION” that a certain religious minority had objections to.
We feel that the last bastion of free speech and liberty that resides in
America now has been put in the hands to those few in power in the media that
are now becoming the gatekeepers of conscience and free speech.
The fact that Comcast, our BOS, and AF-TV has failed to allow the free speech
of the Rizoli's They have in turn reneged on their side of the Cable Agreement
Section 6.14 and by so doing makes the Comcast agreement null and void for
future use.
Hopefully those reading this will not let their personal views on our shows
cloud the issue here on what can and cannot be played on our local public
access cable company, this has to do with free speech, censorship, and what the
FCC allows, not what appeals to you or one particular group.
When a company (Comcast) doesn't abide by their own rules in Comcast Agreement
Section 6.14 or should I say doesn't care to enforce them on what can be
played on local cable TV by their affiliate AF-TV then I think we have to look
for another company that does, or take the higher road and get rid of the cable
representative which is the AF-TV representative that is the behind the
problem. It is our hope that serious consideration is taken when it comes time
to vote on this contract.
Respectfully
Jim and Joe Rizoli