Mission Statement

The Cable Television Communication Plan is a special revenue fund. Revenue is provided by cable franchise agreements and fees from the Transmission Facility Coordinating Group. Funding is passed through for: the operation of the Office of Broadband Program's (OBP); FiberNet programs; Community Technology; Community Engagement; Digital Equity; Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) programming by the Office of Public Information (PIO); the Montgomery County Council; the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC); Montgomery College; Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS); Montgomery Community Media; PEG equipment; and municipal franchises administered by the County.

The mission of the Cable Television Communications Plan is to provide effective management of the Fund; the County's cable franchise agreement; quality PEG programming; broadband governance; planning, execution, and operation of FiberNet; the County's communications network; and effective management of the deployment of wireless facilities throughout Montgomery County. Additional funding for OBP is provided and described in the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions' (TEBS) budget.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY26 Operating Budget for the Office of Broadband Programs is $5,645,170, a decrease of $911,800 or 13.91 percent from the FY25 Approved Budget of $6,556,970. Personnel Costs comprise 0.00 percent of the budget for no full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 0.00 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 100.00 percent of the FY26 budget.

In FY26, franchise fee and PEG revenue is projected to fall $1,467,353 or 7.8 percent relative to FY25 approved levels. Current projections predict revenue to continue to decline by 7.5 to 10.7 percent annually for the next 6 fiscal years.

In FY25, the County Executive decided to move critical programs out of the Cable Fund and into the Department of Technology Services and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS), Montgomery County Council, Office of Public Information (PIO), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Office of the County Attorney. These shifts will refocus the core mission of the Cable Fund on Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) services.

In addition, this department's Capital Improvements Program (CIP) requires Current Revenue funding.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• Thriving Youth and Families
• Easier Commutes
• A Greener County
• Effective, Sustainable Government
• A Growing Economy

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY25 estimates reflect funding based on the FY25 approved budget. The FY26 and FY27 figures are performance targets based on the FY26 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY27.

Initiatives

• Host strategic meetings with key stakeholders for member stations with the goal of gaining direction and support for the reorganization of the Connect Montgomery Alliance.
• Work with TEBS to plan support for the dissolution of the existing Connect Montgomery Alliance organization and creation of a new, centralized approach to managing the County's cable access stations and audio/video production efforts.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Developed Over the Top (OTT) applications for sharing select Connect Montgomery Alliance (CoMo) programming. Led by the CoMo Engineering Committee, CoMo Programming Committee and the TEBS' Community Engagement Team, CoMo has made significant strides in developing a technical approach that will bring select CoMo Network programming to Apple TV, Amazon Fire, RokuTV, and other digital platforms. This effort is among several outlined in the FY25 strategic plan that call for progress in combining efforts to create a unified outcome from one entity, the Connect Montgomery Network. The County Cable Montgomery and Community Engagement Teams are leading the way in demonstrating this technology and have successfully launched apps on both Apple TV and RokuTV.

Program Descriptions

  Media - Montgomery College

Montgomery College Television creates videos for Montgomery College educational cable channels, website, and social media. Funds are used for staff, equipment, operating expenses, and training student interns using hands on, real-life production techniques and facilities. Videos educate, inform, and support student success (e.g., closing the achievement gap, dual enrollment, retention,...

  Media - Montgomery County Public Schools

Montgomery County Public Schools Television (MCPS-TV) is a full-service television and multimedia facility that produces TV programs for students, staff, parents, and the general community produced in multiple languages to reach the district's growing multicultural community. MCPS-TV regular programming includes live Board of Education meetings, live webstreaming events from schools,...

  Montgomery Community Media

Montgomery County supports community media and digital equity training through a contract with Montgomery Community Television, doing business as Montgomery Community Media (MCM). MCM operates two community media cable television channels, provides media technology training to County residents and community organizations, and produces independent, diverse, and informative cable programming for...

  Municipal Support

Cable operator franchise fees and PEG support obligations to participating municipalities within Montgomery County are paid by cable operators to the County for administrative efficiency and auditing effectiveness and then redistributed by the County to the City of Rockville, the City of Takoma Park, and the Montgomery County Chapter of...

  Connect Montgomery Alliance

The Montgomery County Public, Education, and Government (PEG) Governance Board facilitates collaboration among the local PEG stations to promote meaningful and relevant PEG programming and media services to the Montgomery County community using current and emerging technologies. The PEG Governance Board (PGB) collaboratively works to expand community engagement, Spanish language...