ILLINOIS NATOA CONFERENCE COVERS CABLE FRANCHISE RENEWAL

Many Illinois communities will soon be faced with a major challenge as well as a major opportunity: renewal of their cable television franchises.

To help communities meet this challenge successfully, the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) is sponsoring a conference on January 20 in Effingham. The conference is designed to help local franchising authorities develop a timely, comprehensive and organized approach to the renewal process.

The process is ruled by certain procedures spelled out in Section 626 of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984. The conference sessions will outline these procedures and detail the options open to franchising communities to "get the best deal" for the new franchise period.

The conference begins at 8:45 a.m. at the Ramada Inn in Effingham and concludes at 4:30 p.m. The registration fee is $65 for NATOA members/city officials and $95 for others. The fee includes lunch. To register, or for more information, please call Jim Szczepaniak at (708) 673-0500. •

Page 10 / Illinois Municipal Review / January 1992