The Public Access Community Television Committee (PACT) exists to ensure that the Franchise Agreement between the Town of Chester and Adelphia (now Comcast) Communications, effective April 1, 2003 through March 30, 2013, operates without incident, and to manage the funds received from Adelphia (now Comcast) as a result of this agreement.  Since April 1, 2003, the Town continues to receive franchise fees of subscribers' cable bills (cable TV only, not cable internet per the FCC) in the amount of 1% quarterly.  This money is reserved in a special revenue fund, known as the PACT Fund, and is delegated in thirds, for the maintenance of Public and Government (CTV-21, and the future CTV-20), and Education (CETV-22) television.

The PACT committee meets as needed to review the needs presented to them by CTV-21, and CETV-22.  CTV-21 covers both the Public and Government side of local cable access and provides live cablecast of all meetings of Town government, and programming produced locally by CTV-21 by volunteers Dick Godfrey, Hilary Hall, and Lenny Stein, as well as pre-recorded programs received from outside sources, and from our membership in the New Hampshire Coalition for Community Media (www.nhccm.com).  We have been in contact with our cable operator to set up our third Channel 20 (according to Franchise Agreement) to be used in the future for Government programming only.  We hope to see CTV-20 up and running by summer 2007.

CETV-22, the Education Channel provides live and recorded sports from Chester Academy, other pre-recorded programming, and the monthly School Board Meeting.  Their portion of the PACT fund supports equipment expenses that they incur throughout the year.  Equipment purchased from PACT funds since April 1, 2003 are the property of the town of Chester, and not exclusive to the Chester School District.  Chester Academy has an active Audio/Video Club, and a program coordinator to maintain CETV-22 for the benefit of the Town.

This year the volunteers of CTV-21 and PACT committee made the decision to make considerable upgrades within the Meeting Room of the Town Office Building in order to improve the output of the audio quality for the various government meetings that take place there.  The associated costs came from the Public and Government portion of the PACT fund, CTV-21's budget.  Also from this share of the PACT fund is repayment to the General Fund of telephone, heat and electricity for CTV-21, thus confirming that Public Access Television in Chester is solely supported through franchise fees.

Effective August 1, 2006, Comcast officially acquired Adelphia Communications, becoming the cable operator in Chester, and a number of other communities in Southern New Hampshire.  To date, there has been no change in the channel line up, nor in any of the services provided to subscribers in Chester, although, you will have noticed an increase in service fees, an inevitable inconvenience, and something that we could not negotiate away with the transfer process in the spring of 2006. 

Public Access Community Television in Chester always welcomes new volunteers.  We are happy to guide you through the basic steps to create your own Television Programs.  CTV-21 has state of the art digital editing through Avid Express Pro technology that is available for use by volunteers.  Some of you videophiles may already have an editing package on your home computers, so if you would like to share your "home movies" of an event that you have recorded, or even your summer vacation, please let us know.  If you need some help editing, we will help you.  If it is a finished program, we will accept it on DVD for replay.  You may contact us at 887-2288, or email pegtalk@chesterpublicaccess.org. 


PACT Committee, Hilary Hall - Chair, Bob Grimm - Co-Chair, Dick & Marge Godfrey, Lenny Stein