New Milford TV Contract May Sharpen Picture

MILFORD, MA — The town of Milford is set to enter into a new contract with Verizon over public access television, and one feature of the new deal is a new high-definition broadcast channel.

Like most local governments, Milford grants Verizon a license to use public infrastructure to deliver cable television and internet. As part of the deal, Verizon provides broadcast space for local access TV — often called PEG, which stands for "public, educational, and governmental."

According to the new contract, Verizon will grant Milford two standard-definition channels, plus a new high-definition channel. Milford TV is already recording shows in high-definition, but they are being broadcast on TV in a lower quality format. The new HD channel would come online about 270 days after the new contract starts. Residents can access HD programming online, including through Milford TV's new iPhone app.

"This will bring Milford TV to another level with the quality we provide the Milford community as we already produce in 1080i-HD, but have not had the ability to broadcast the quality outside our online platforms," Milford TV Executive Director Liz Harkins said.

Milford TV also gets funding through the PEG contract. Verizon will give the town three $78,000 grants over the next three years for capital costs, and will share 4 percent of local gross revenue to fund programming. Milford also receives a 50-cent per subscriber fee from Verizon for its license. Verizon does charge cable subscribers a small "franchise fee" each month to recover costs.

Milford's PEG channels broadcast everything from Board of Selectmen meetings to school plays. There's also a selection of locally-produced shows by Milford TV members about everything from yoga to the local art scene, and the local news show "The Milford Informer."

Milford's new contract with Verizon, if approved by the Board of Selectmen on Monday, will last until April 2025.