Philadelphia Community Access Coalition
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MS. KULP: My name is Denise Kulp, and I'm the Cochair of the Liberty City Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club, the largest lesbian and gay political organization in Pennsylvania with over 350 paid members and several hundred volunteers.

I speak today to urge your support for the speedy implementation of public access cable television in Philadelphia. We are disappointed to learn of the City's year 15-year delay in implementing public access cable television the city.

There are several reasons why this issue is important to the lesbian and gay community. Lesbians and gay men have historically been under-represented, and that tradition continues. While there has been a recent increase in television portrayals of lesbians and gay men, these continue to be mostly in the roles of the funny friend or a crime victim, neither of which speaks to the majority of real lesbians and gay men.

Public access cable television would allow us, as well as our minorities, increased opportunities to be represented, to represent ourselves through what is still the most effective medium of mass communication in our society. It would also give our community a measure responsibility to take the tools available to us to develop programming that speaks to us, represents us, and meets our needs. Shame on you if public access cable television doesn't move forward, but shame on us if we don't take advantage of the opportunity it affords.

Liberty City is a progressive organization that seeks to move power away from corporations to the people. We believe that public access cable will allow viewpoints and voices to be heard that otherwise won't be if the main filter for programming is profitability for a handful of media conglomerates. As progressives and democrats, we seek to increase civic participation in government and to let the sun shine on the process. Public access cable television can inform and motivate citizens on a range of issues, from the precinct level to citywide and beyond.

Will public access cable television be nothing but compelling documentaries or artistic programs? Will it be Philadelphia's version of C-Span? Not likely. It will be like everything we see -- probably not. But just as the Internet ushered in new and more egalitarian ways of communicating for people across the country, public access cable TV can be an important medium for this diverse city of neighborhoods.

Finally, Liberty City is a Philadelphia organization. Most of our members live in the city. There are simply not enough local programming that's informational, cultural, educational or artistic. Public access cable television promises an immediate remedy to that situation.

Liberty City urges City Council to take whatever steps are needed to speedily and fully implement cable television in this city.

Thank you.

COUNCILMAN COHEN: Thank you very much.

(Applause.)

COUNCILMAN COHEN: Would the following please come forward:

Joy Butts, is she here? Come forward, please.

Maddie Humphrey, please come forward.

Tim Siftar, Andrew Altman, Steve Parks, Carl Lee, Anula Sherry, Dorothea Bremer, Mike Keutemyer, Tamar Charry.

(Above-named panel members come forward.)

COUNCILMAN COHEN: Okay, very good. Proceed in whatever order you'd like.

There are still ten other speakers after that that are scheduled. I don't know whether they're here or not.

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