VENTNOR – The city commissioners introduced an ordinance Thursday, Jan. 19 that gives Downbeach communities control over Channel 2 and allows Comcast to do business in the city for the next 25 years.

The ordinance finalizes a process that began two years ago with the city’s Cable TV Committee that included fact finding and taking input from residents.

Comprised of city employees James Pacanowski, John Santoro, Sgt. Marc Franco and attorney Michelle Maguire, the committee hammered out the terms of an agreement with Comcast that gives the three municipalities control of the local information channel and secures a grant for Ventnor.

The city last set an agreement with Comcast Sept. 6, 1996, aided by Maguire, who has been the legal advisor for the committee since 1987.

Pacanowski said Wednesday, Jan. 25 that the major grab for the city was bringing control over the channel to Margate and diversifying the information that can be displayed through the broadcast.

“Basically we can post some small little text, a few pictures here and there, and that’s really about it,” said Pacanowski, Ventnor’s network administrator. “We wanted to have more control over it so we could, down the line in the future, do live events, do taped events, be able to post videos – whatever we really wanted to do.”

Currently, the Ventnor 2 Channel is operated by the text- and graphics-based Telvue Corporation of Mount Laurel, and the city must go through the Comcast office in Pleasantville when it wants to change the information.

Under the agreement Ventnor is to receive a $45,000 technology grant, free basic television service to the city government and schools, and basic Internet connection at the school and the Ventnor library.

Pacanowski said that based on state law, the city basically is just approving Comcast to do business in town. He said the city cannot negotiate subscription fees or levels of service.

Margate and Longport have already approved their franchise renewal agreements with Comcast, and the three towns agreed to have the equipment housed in Margate.

“Me and Fred Verna, their tech person, are in contact with Telvue, who currently handles our Channel 2 information, to see what equipment we would need.”

Pacanowski said he has been in talks with Bob Braverman, the technology education teacher at the Ventnor Educational Community Complex, to explore the option of a student-run news show.

“My vision always was to get children doing a live or taped daily news,” Pacanowski said. “It would be a really neat thing to get children involved in current events and the news industry.”

The contract is for 15 years with a 10-year automatic renewal – a detail Comcast pushed for because the city wanted a large technology grant, he said.

“Within the next six months we will have all Channel 2 equipment in place to start doing more of what we want,” said Pacanowski.

He said it would give all three towns the ability to broadcast live and taped events, schedule broadcasts of local plays, parades and concerts, and even city government meetings, should they each decide to include that.

“It was a pretty smooth process,” Pacanowski said. “After we pass the ordinance, we’ll be waiting for Comcast and one of the engineers to finalize what hardware we need.”