Residents of Fitchburg, as well as organizations and institutions affiliated with the city, and those affiliated with such organizations are welcomed and encouraged to use these resources. In order to gain access to production resources and training, a person must become a member by:

1. Showing proof of Fitchburg residency; or working at or attending any school in Fitchburg; or affiliation with an organization serving Fitchburg (all members must be directly affiliated with the Fitchburg branch/chapter in the case of regional, state, or national organizations). Individuals who cannot fulfill these criteria are still welcome to become members of FATV by paying a non-resident fee.

2. Paying the current membership fee, or by volunteering on Studio or Remote productions in lieu of the fee. The fee is waived for educational and governmental organizations when programming involves those organizations.

   • Individual membership: $40 per year. $80 for non-residents.

   • Family membership (open to immediate family members who reside in the same household): $60 per year. $120 for non-residents.

   • Fitchburg Organizational Membership (Non-Profits): $100 per year.

   • Lifetime individual membership: $250 (Fitchburg residents only).

3. By attending orientation, training, and signing a STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE with these policies and procedures.

Information required on the Statement of Compliance Form shall include:

1. Full legal name of applicant

2. Current address

3. Home cell, and/or work phone

4. Driver’s license number of signatory

5. Email address

6. Signature

7. In the case of minors, the following will be required:

   • Date of birth

   • Guardian name

   • Guardian address

   • Guardian home, cell, and/or work phone

   • Guardian signature

8. In the case of organizations, the following will be required:

   • Organization name

   • Organization address

   • Organization phone

   • Organization email

   • Organization website

1. Membership fees must be paid at the completion of orientation before new members are allowed to use any of the facilities and equipment of FATV.

2. The individual new member fee shall be prorated as follows:

   • January 1 – March 30: $40

   • March 31 – June 30: $30

   • July 1 – Sept. 30: $20

   • Oct. 1 – Dec. 31: $10

3. The annual membership for continuing members is due January 1st of a calendar year and must be paid by January 31st of that year to remain in good standing.

Programming Definitions

New Programs: Those produced within the preceding 30 days and presented for airing in that time period.

Live Programs: Those produced live in FATV studios or in the field for airing live.

Live-to-Tape Programs: Those produced live-to-tape in FATV studios or in the field which are complete and ready for play without editing.

Old Programs: Any program produced more than 30 days before the air date requested, but in the calendar year.

Local Programming: Material produced by an FATV member using FATV equipment and facilities.

Imported Programming: Any material produced in any other fashion.

Prime Time: Defined as the time between the hours of 5pm and 10pm.

A – Staff Programming

1. Staff Memberships

   FATV staff are permitted and encouraged to join FATV with the same rights, privileges, and restrictions as regular members. Such activities shall not take place during working hours.

2. Staff Productions

   FATV does not produce programming. However, FATV staff may produce programming at the discretion of the executive director, for purposes including, but not limited to, community interest, outreach, promotion, and training. Such programming shall credit the staff member as producer.

B – Imported Programming

Any member may request channel time for the presentation of a pre-recorded television program, provided the proper sponsorship responsibility is acknowledged and placed on file at FATV. Sponsorship responsibility shall include name, local address, and local phone number.

1. The FATV staff is committed to seeking programming which contributes to the diversity and quality of the material offered to the Fitchburg community. Given such opportunities, the staff may exercise the prerogative to sponsor such programming as the producer of record.

2. Programming produced outside Fitchburg may run on FATV channels. Any member may request or sponsor outside programming under the terms of the membership regulations.

3. Members may request one prime time showing of outside programming.

C – Regional Programming

Members of neighboring public access television stations may submit programs for broadcast without the requirement of securing a local Fitchburg sponsor. Programs submitted under this rule shall be identified as “Regional” and subject to the following hierarchy:

1. Live programming

2. Local programming (produced by FATV members)

3. Regional programming (Leominster TV, Lunenburg Access, etc.)

4. Imported programming (sponsored programming)

Individuals submitting programming under this rule are responsible for preparing their program in the same manner as FATV members as outlined in this manual.

Individuals may request one prime time showing of the program. Additional prime-time showings may be offered if time is available.

D – Time Slots

1. Program time slots for the public access channel are available on a first come, first served basis subject to the resources of FATV, whose staff has the right to determine appropriate scheduling.

2. Requests for airing of programming shall be honored on a first-come, first-served basis, but programs produced by FATV members exclusively using FATV equipment and facilities shall be given priority for broadcast over material produced in other ways.

3. Requests for time will be honored within the constraints of scheduling as well as staff and equipment availability.

4. Requests for live programming will be subject to FATV staff approval whose decision will be based on, but not limited to, equipment availability, member preparedness, timeliness of topic, and other factors as determined by FATV staff.

5. FATV holds the right to pre-empt scheduled programming if necessary.

6. Member-produced programming may be shown a maximum of five times in the first week of play.

7. A producer may only run a maximum of one series show and one “single program” show per weekday and one show per weekend (series or single).

E – Prime Time

Prime time is defined as any time between the hours of 5 PM and 10 PM. A member may request two prime time playback opportunities per week for a member-produced program. Those programs sponsored by—but not produced by members—can request one prime time playback per week.

F - Live Broadcast

Prior to receiving a live time slot, a member must first demonstrate the ability to properly execute a live production. A minimum of 3 recorded shows successfully executed as-live are required to demonstrate the member’s ability to handle the complexities of a live production.

FATV provides the ability for a member to broadcast their live production on the FATV Public channel, as well as the Public live web stream accessible on the FATV website and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. If a member wishes to also live stream their production to a social media site, the following criteria must be met:

1. The production must also be live on FATV’s Public channel and web stream/OTT.

2. The FATV Logo watermark must be embedded into the live video transmission. Transparency, size and position of the logo will be set in advance by FATV staff.

3. Specific to Facebook Live and YouTube Live, the page in which the member is live streaming to must be following FATV’s social media page, and tag FATV’s page in the video post.

4. FATV may request that the member provide analytics of their social media live streams to FATV for the purpose of studying viewership engagement.

G – Series

Members are encouraged to produce a series of programs. A Request for Channel Time form must be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the first program and at least 48 hours before every new program thereafter.

Requests for series must meet the following conditions:

1. Members must make consistent use of their time slot with new material. Programs may be rerun only once during the same time slot and still be considered new material. Members are encouraged to re-run programs at other time slots.

2. The studio may be reserved up to three weeks in advance for recorded programming, and the digital file of the recorded program must be received by FATV staff at least two days prior to the broadcast date. For live series programming, the studio will be reserved for the duration of the series.

3. A series is defined as at least four new programs broadcast on a regular basis. Time slots may be requested on a yearly basis in order of preference.

4. A series must meet the following criteria:

   • Consistent use of time slot with new material.

   • Each program must NOT exceed the established running time. Overtime programs will be ended pre-emptively to fit the time slot.

   • Series time slot may be revoked after 30 days without new material or violation of above criteria.

5. Series time slots may be changed at any time at FATV staff discretion. In most circumstances, these would be temporary changes due to special programming or community events. FATV will make every effort to notify the producer of an affected series as far in advance as possible.

H – Single Programs

Producers requesting single program time must submit a Request for Channel Time form for each program at least one week in advance of the time requested. The media of the program should be received by FATV staff at least two days before the broadcast date.

I - Podcasts

FATV operates a podcast studio, along with a workflow which allows member-produced podcasts to be published to several different platforms. Each completed podcast must be in the form of a video file for broadcast on FATV, with the visual component consisting of either video from the cameras in the Podcast Studio, or a full-screen graphic provided by the member.

J –Media Requirements

FATV accepts digital media files in h.264/mp4 format for broadcast. Digital media files must adhere to the following requirements:

1. Standard file naming scheme of {[name of program] [first air date]}

   For Example: {Inside Fitchburg 3.1.2023}

2. Programs using FATV facilities and/or equipment must credit FATV for its use. For Example: “Inside Fitchburg would like to thank FATV for the use of its studio and facilities.”

3. Programs using the FATV truck must credit FATV and the truck underwriters for use of the vehicle. A list of all current truck underwriters will be made available upon request.

K - Video on Demand & Over-The-Top

By request, member video content produced using FATV facilities and equipment may be uploaded to our video on demand (VOD) and over-the-top (OTT) platform with the following restrictions:

1. Each member will be limited to a total of 12 hours of video content on VOD & OTT.

2. Content will be retained on VOD & OTT for no longer than 6 months.

3. Content designated for “late night” airing due to mature subject matter may be excluded from VOD & OTT due to inability to restrict content from being viewed by minors.

Content produced internally by FATV is uploaded to VOD & OTT and retained on the platform as follows:

1. Government legislative meetings are retained for at least 12 months.

2. Sporting events are retained for the duration of each athletic season and are removed 1 month after the conclusion of that athletic season.

3. All other FATV internally-produced content is retained for at least 6 months and no more than 12 months.

All FATV internally produced content is archived after removal from the VOD & OTT platform.

L – Other Online Platforms

Content produced using FATV facilities and equipment may be uploaded by the producer to their privately operated account through an online video hosting site (Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, etc.). The following criteria must be met:

1. Use of the video hosting site does not violate any of FATV’s equipment use regulations. [Refer to Section I – Programming; N – Prohibitions and Clearances].

2. Content uploaded on a privately operated account must also be available on the FATV VOD & OTT platform.

M –Media Archives

Shows produced using FATV equipment and/or facilities will be archived on FATV’s archive storage server. This content will be retained in the FATV archives for as long as the member remains in good standing. If a member does not renew their membership, FATV reserves the right to permanently delete the inactive member’s archived content one year after membership expiration without notice to the individual. FATV strongly recommends that show producers maintain a personal digital archive of media they wish to preserve long term.

Content is archived up to 720p quality on a local storage server at FATV. If a member wishes to keep their content in a higher quality, it is their responsibility to do so. Members may access the archive server from a designated computer at FATV.

Content produced internally by FATV is archived on a local storage server, as well as the FATV YouTube channel and Archive.org.

N – Prohibitions and Clearances

Producers on the access channels are fully responsible for the content of their program material.

It is not the policy of FATV to preview programs submitted prior to broadcast. However, FATV may preview a program for any reason including but not limited to: probable cause that the program does not comply with minimum technical standards, FATV policy, or state or federal law.

Presentation of the following is prohibited:

1. Any commercial advertising (Any for-profit use of the FATV studio, equipment, or facilities will be billed at current industry rates.)

2. Any material which constitutes libel, slander, obscenity, pornography, incitement, invasion of privacy or publicity rights, or false and misleading advertising.

3. Any use of trademark copyright which violates local, state or federal law, ordinance or regulation.

4. Any material produced outside of FATV without proper local endorsement by a sponsoring member.

5. Any lottery or lottery material. Exceptions include when conducted by a non-profit or governmental organization.

6. There shall be no direct solicitation of funds by any entity, including not-for-profits, without the express written permission from the Executive Director of Fitchburg Access Television.

Programs to be broadcast must meet minimum technical standards to be judged by FATV staff on a per-case basis.

O – Fair Use

FATV Producers are responsible for providing due diligence in their productions to ensure that fair use guidelines are followed. For FATV, Fair Use relates to what information producers can use in productions that conform to the legal doctrine of Fair Use. There are no specific guidelines that describe Fair Use claims. Courts evaluate each claim on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, it is important that each FATV producer considers Fair Use guidelines for incorporating in total, or part of any existing material into productions from a source such as: video, internet, printed copy, music, or other. Producers should not assume that because productions are not-for-profit or are educationally focused that existing material can be freely used. Providing attribution of material is not enough to satisfy the use of some material.

There are four tests that are applied to fair use:

1. Purpose and character of the use, including whether the use is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit educational purposes.

2. Nature of copyrighted work.

3. Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole.

4. Effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Additional detail on these tests to help you determine fair use can be found at:

• https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html

• https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/four-factors/

• https://creativecommons.org/

P – Political Campaigning

Political candidates are subject to the same policies and regulations as other users of the public access channels. Members who are actively campaigning for political office are not allowed to produce programming with the sole purpose of promoting said campaign. Such programming will be viewed equivalently to a paid political announcement. Paid political announcements are considered commercial in nature and thus excluded from the channels. FCC regulations concerning equal time for political candidates do not apply to public access programming.

Compliance with any election laws applicable to the candidate is the sole responsibility of the candidate and not of Fitchburg Access Television, Inc.

Upon the filing deadline for candidates in all local (Fitchburg) elections, FATV will acquire the list of eligible candidates to appear on the ballot from the Fitchburg City Clerk. FATV will then notify each qualified candidate by mail with an invitation to record a one-time presentation of candidacy, no longer than 5 minutes, for each qualified candidate, subject to the following:

1. A block of studio time will be set aside for the recording of all candidates and will be reserved on a first come, first served basis. No special scheduling is permitted.

2. The candidates' announcements will be aired as part of a single program, and in the order that they appear on the ballot.

3. The program will air on FATV at various days/times and will end on the day of the election. The program will also be made available on video on-demand.

4. No candidate will be allowed to re-record their message (unless due to a technical issue).

5. No candidate will be present at another candidate’s recording session, and the candidate must appear alone.

6. Set design will be provided by FATV, and no additional signs or props will be allowed.

7. No alteration of the program will be permitted.

Q – Disclaimers

FATV reserves the right to include the following notice before and/or after a program:

• “As a public access station, FATV is a platform to grant any member broadcasting access to public channels.

  The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the producers and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of FATV.”

FATV may also include additional disclaimers as necessary regarding the content of the program.

R – Ownership

FATV Members own their own programs provided it is broadcast at least once on any of the access channels.

FATV has the right to maintain a copy of any program. FATV also has the right to broadcast the program an unlimited number of times and to use same for any promotional purposes related to FATV.

S – Sponsorship and Credits

Commercial advertising is strictly prohibited. Acknowledgment of funding or underwriting by businesses, organizations, or grantors providing monetary or other assistance in the making of the program may be included in the program credits. Underwriting credits are subject to review and approval by the Executive Director of FATV. No mention of the funding source may be made during the program.

T – Underwriting & Grants

Underwriting support for FATV is to be actively sought in the community. Staff and members are encouraged to seek out businesses and organizations who are willing to provide such support. References to grant money imply only the portion of the grant directly applicable to the production of video.

20% of all financial underwriting or grant support for live or live-to-tape broadcasts using the production truck shall accrue to FATV.

The Board of Directors of FATV shall be in charge of the use of all underwriting funds received. It shall determine disbursements to members for expenses involved in production of any show on FATV.

Underwriting application forms (request for disbursement) shall be submitted by the 15th of each month to the Office of the Executive Director and shall be reviewed by the Board of Directors at the next regularly scheduled board meeting, typically the fourth Monday of each month. Such requests can be approved by the Executive Director if timeliness prevents them from being approved by the Board of Directors.

Other programming produced by members is subject to the following underwriting provisions:

1. Underwriting and Grants for Non-profit Agency Programming:

   Charitable donations and grants may be given to sponsoring agencies for use in the production of a specific program or series of programs. The Agency is accountable to disclose in writing all funds received and expended in the production of a specific program or series of programs. 10% of all monies will be used by FATV to supplement the operating budget unless use of the production truck is required, then 20% of all monies shall accrue to FATV.

2. Underwriting and Grants for Individual Member Programming:

   Charitable donations and grants may be used for programming produced by an individual member. The member is accountable to disclose in writing all funds received and expended in the production of a specific program or series of programs. 10% of all monies will be used by FATV to supplement the operating budget.

3. Underwriting and Grants for Fitchburg Schools:

   Charitable donations and grants may be used for educational programming produced by a school geographically located within Fitchburg. The school is required to disclose in writing all funds received and their respective donors in exchange for underwriting credit intended for broadcast. FATV will allow all monies received to be retained by the school for the purpose of supporting their communications/media curriculum provided the school includes the words “Broadcast time provided by” followed by FATV’s logo alongside all other underwriting credits and on the school’s televised bulletin board system.

FATV is committed to maintaining the integrity of our purpose and actively discourages individuals from attempting to profit from their activities at FATV. To this end, individuals are not permitted to profit from programming produced with FATV equipment and shall not collect more money than is required for the production of said program or series of programs (including the standard 10% share for FATV.) In the event an individual collects more money than is required, the balance will accrue to FATV. Members wishing to profit from producing programs are invited to purchase their own equipment or rent FATV’s equipment at current industry rates.

All members using FATV facilities or equipment must credit Fitchburg Access Television in the program credits. At no time is FATV to be acknowledged as the producer.

Members MAY use FATV equipment to produce personal videos under the following guidelines:

1. The member may not profit from the video. Producers of profit-making productions will be charged rental fees at current industry rates.

2. Member must be in good standing for a minimum of one year prior to beginning production of personal video.

3. Member must have taken all appropriate classes necessary to operate equipment prior to beginning production.

4. Member should be prepared to produce the video in its entirety, without assistance from FATV staff. FATV staff will be available, however, to assist with technical (non-procedural) problems.

5. Members may not produce more than two personal videos per year.

6. Reservation of equipment is subject to availability. Members who are producing material for broadcast will get first priority.

FATV members must not misrepresent themselves as employees of FATV or as having the ability to speak for FATV. Such actions will result in immediate suspension of all privileges.

Active members are required to notify FATV of any change in residence or other contact information to remain in good standing with their membership.

Any member of FATV is eligible for training. A series of basic television production, field, studio, and post-production lessons will be made available on an ongoing basis.

Workshops are given under the direction of FATV staff or a qualified person approved by the Executive Director of FATV.

Class information will be posted at FATV and made available to all members through the website. Those wishing to take classes must sign up for them on a first-come, first-served basis. All cancellations must be made within 24 hours prior to the first session.

Members may be certified in the following manner:

1. Completion of the basic production workshop and demonstration of required skills.

2. Testing in lieu of a workshop consisting of oral questions and hands-on demonstration of equipment competency.

3. For specific pieces of equipment, further demonstration of proficiency may be required.

4. Re-certification of inactive members will take place on renewal of membership.

FATV staff has the right to determine the level of certification of all members.

FATV members are encouraged to volunteer during and after their training/certification. Individuals who are not Fitchburg-based and unable to become members may volunteer if they have sufficient video production skills and are working on a specific program under the guidance or approval of the FATV staff. High school and college students are encouraged to intern on a credit or non-credit basis.

FATV Members may reserve portable production equipment on a first-come, first-served basis. Equipment may not be used in hazardous situations without prior approval of the FATV staff.

The FATV production truck is available only at the discretion of the Executive Director and may only be used under the direct supervision of a certified staff member. Availability will be based on but not limited to: equipment and staff availability, location, parking, utility availability, and accessibility. FATV staff shall retain the right to stop or alter a production if conditions warrant.

In the event a member wishes to enlist the aid of others in a production, the producer must supply a Production Crew List prior to picking up equipment for approval by FATV staff. All crew members who will be handling equipment must be certified by FATV staff prior to using any field production equipment. Failure to do this may result in cancellation of reservation or production.

Reservations:

1. Members wishing to reserve equipment should file their program production schedule in person with the FATV staff before their first equipment reservation.

2. The amount of equipment available for a given request will be determined by the FATV staff, based on the experience level of the member, their needs, the needs of others, and the equipment repair schedule.

3. Equipment may be reserved no less than 24 hours in advance. The maximum reservation for portable equipment is 48 hours per week. Two reservations of up to 24 hours each. Back-to-back reservations may be requested but are not guaranteed. Special arrangements may be made with the approval of FATV staff.

4. Members may make a maximum of eight reservations per finished program.

5. Members will AT NO TIME leave equipment unattended nor in their vehicle other than to transport equipment to a production or for pickup and drop off at FATV.

Equipment Pickup:

1. Equipment must be picked up at the FATV equipment checkout room by the member who reserved it, unless alternate arrangements have been made and approved in advance by the FATV staff.

2. Members must sign the Equipment Reservation form for each reservation. Upon completion, an FATV staff member will initial the reservation. A copy of the signed equipment reservation form for the member will be provided upon request. Hours for pickup will be determined by the FATV staff.

3. It is recommended that members set up and test equipment before leaving the building.

Equipment Return:

1. Equipment must be returned at the time indicated on the Equipment Reservation form. Members who expect to be unavoidably late must call for approval for a later return. Members returning equipment late without FATV staff approval will be given a warning. Subsequent offenses of returning equipment late may result in a probationary period and will not be allowed to checkout equipment. Further action will be determined as needed.

2. FATV staff will check the equipment to ensure that it has been returned in proper working condition, and in the same condition as when it was released.

3. Members must immediately fill out an Incident Report if there are any problems with the equipment. Members are also responsible for notifying staff upon return of the equipment.

4. Members cannot borrow additional equipment until all items have been returned in good working order and in the same condition as when picked up. Members must replace all lost or missing equipment signed out to them.

5. Hours for equipment return will be scheduled by the FATV staff.

6. Members are responsible for removing/storing their media prior to equipment return.

Liability:

FATV is not responsible for losses directly or indirectly caused by equipment failure.

FATV members may reserve edit facilities on a first-come, first-served basis.

Reservations:

1. Members wishing to reserve equipment should file their Program Production Schedule with the FATV staff before their first reservation.

2. Only FATV staff may rewire or reconfigure any part of the facility and its editing equipment.

3. Edit time may be reserved no less than 24 hours in advance.

4. Members may use up to 48 hours of reserved edit time per program, and up to 4 hours per day.

5. When members use the edit facility, they must check-in and check-out with a staff member.

Liability:

• FATV is not responsible for loss of data due to equipment failure or accidental erasure. Members are responsible for backing up all data. FATV reserves the right to delete assets and recordings after 90 days from last member editing session.

FATV members may reserve time in Studio A and the Podcast Studio on a first come, first-served basis.

1. Members wishing to reserve studio time should file their Program Production Schedule with the staff prior to their first reservation.

2. All studio productions must be approved by an FATV staff member. Crew position assignments are the responsibility of the member.

3. All studio crew must be certified or approved by the FATV staff.

4. Members must consult with FATV staff before productions which require beyond the normal studio accommodations of audio and video components and accessories as well as props.

5. Certain studio areas may be posted as off limits.

6. Studio time for Single Programs may be reserved no less than one week in advance.

7. Studio A may be used for a maximum of four hours per week by a member. Up to three studio reservations, at a maximum of six hours of production time, may be made per finished program. Studio requests should be made at least one week in advance of the production.

8. The Podcast Studio may be used for a maximum of two hours per week by a member. Up to two studio reservations, at a maximum of two hours of production time, may be made per finished podcast.

9. Production Crew meetings before and after each Studio A production are highly recommended. In some extenuating cases, it may be required at the discretion of the Executive Director.

10. FATV is not responsible for losses directly or indirectly caused by equipment failure.

11. Only FATV staff may rewire or reconfigure any part of the facility.

12. FATV reserves the right to delete assets and recordings after 90 days.

1. Telephones

   Telephones are available primarily for office use and are also available for members when necessary. Members must ask permission to use a telephone prior to using it. Calls are restricted to local calls only.

2. Internet

   FATV has a courtesy Wi-Fi Network available for our members and guests. Internet access on FATV owned computers is restricted to activities directly related to programming, e.g., research, uploading, etc. FATV maintains a firewall preventing unauthorized Internet access. If you require Internet access beyond what is available, please ask a staff member for consideration.

3. Office Equipment

   Office equipment including copiers and other equipment are necessary to operate the station. This equipment is not available for general use by members without express permission by FATV staff on a case by case basis.

FATV is concerned for the safety of all its guests. We take special interest in safeguarding minors. While we value our young members and wish to encourage their participation, their safety is of paramount concern. To this end, we will enforce the following rules for minors.

Minors – Non-members

• All children of guests and members must be supervised at all times.

• Non-members are not allowed to use any computer system for any reason.

Violations:

• First offense: Verbal warning given to responsible adult.

• Second offense: Minor Violation. (See FATV Policies.)

• Third offense: Major Violation. (See FATV Policies.)

Minors – Members

• All members under the age of 16 MUST check in with staff, and be accompanied by an adult.

• Internet access is restricted to uses directly associated with your production. Unsupervised Internet access is prohibited.

Violations:

• First offense: Verbal warning given to member.

• Second offense: Minor Violation. (See FATV Policies.)

• Third offense: Major Violation. (See FATV Policies.)

Youth Group Rules

• All groups utilizing FATV facilities are responsible for supervising themselves.

• FATV requires 1 adult for every 5 participants under the age of 18.

• All group participants must remain in the space (Studio A, Podcast Studio, etc.) that was reserved. Unsupervised wandering is prohibited.

Violations:

• First offense: Verbal warning given to individual and responsible adult.

• Second offense: Minor Violation. (See FATV Policies.)

• Third offense: Major Violation. (See FATV Policies.)

Failure to meet any of these criteria may result in the cancellation of the facility reservation by staff at their discretion.

Minimum Age Requirements

• Minimum age for full membership privileges is 14 with parental consent.

• Minimum age for participation in a youth group or after-school activity is 12 with parental consent.

• Minimum age requirements may be altered at the discretion of the Executive Director under special circumstances.

Youth policies are in effect at all activities, events and productions under the control of FATV.

Please refer to the FATV Rate Card for Equipment Rental Policies.

Members are responsible for all the FATV facilities and equipment used by them. This includes responsibility for the actions of guests, assistants, and others.

All FATV equipment is insured.

Members are responsible for all FATV equipment when signed out to them.

In order for the insurance company to honor a theft claim:

1. A police report must be filed in the city or town in which the theft occurred.

2. Equipment cannot have been left unattended.

3. There must be proof of unauthorized forcible entry into the vehicle or location of theft.

4. Equipment must not have been left in a car overnight.

5. If the insurance company honors the claim, the member is responsible for covering the deductible payment. In the event the insurance company does not honor a claim, it is the responsibility of the Access Member to reimburse FATV for the full replacement value.

Members must give 24-hour notice when canceling any reserved use of FATV facilities, channels or classes. Voicemail and email are available for such purposes when the office is not staffed. If a member is more than 30 minutes late without prior notification, the reservation will be cancelled.

In order for these policies and regulations to be effective and to keep operations running smoothly, a monitoring system has been implemented.

There are two types of rules which, if violated, can result in restrictions placed on the member. The Executive Director or their designee is authorized to issue warnings and suspensions.

Major Violations:

Major violations will result in a suspension of membership for a minimum of 90 days, up to and including permanent suspension. These include, but are not limited to:

1. Unapproved commercial or profit-making use of FATV equipment or facilities.

2. Members misrepresenting themselves as FATV staff, employees, or a member of the FATV Board of Directors.

3. Falsifying information provided to FATV and/or related forms.

4. Taking or reserving equipment without FATV staff permission.

5. Abuse and/or neglect of FATV property and equipment.

6. Attempted self-repair of FATV equipment.

7. Any unauthorized use of FATV equipment or property without FATV staff permission.

8. Use of unauthorized stairways, corridors, and doors within the complex. Designated entrances, exits and off-limits areas are clearly defined.

9. Verbal or physical abuse of FATV, its staff, other members, or guests.

10. Stealing FATV property and/or equipment.

11. Using FATV computers to store, view, or create obscene material.

12. Fourth minor violation within a twelve-month period.

Minor Violations:

Minor violations within a twelve-month period will be dealt with as follows:

1. First violation: Result - written warning.

2. Second violation: Result - 30-day membership suspension.

3. Third violation: Result - 90-day membership suspension.

4. Fourth violation: Result - Major Violation (minimum of 90-day membership suspension).

Minor violations may include but are not limited to:

1. Failure to cancel a reservation in accordance with Section XIV.

2. Late pickup or late return of equipment without notification and approval.

3. Mishandling of equipment.

4. Eating or drinking in restricted areas.

5. Smoking anywhere within complex.

6. Failure to clean up after using FATV premises.

7. Handling restricted FATV property or equipment.

8. Being present in off-limits areas without prior approval of the FATV staff.

9. Parking/loading zone infractions

10. Using FATV computers for non-television-related uses or unauthorized internet access.

11. Loitering.

Grievances:

Members are encouraged to resolve difficulties on the staff level. If unable to come to a satisfactory solution, the member may appeal to the Executive Director for further review. Any member wishing to review a decision by the Executive Director may file a written request for a hearing before the FATV Board of Directors.

1. FATV is not responsible for lost, stolen, or misplaced media stored at the facility.

2. FATV is not responsible for media damaged by FATV equipment.

3. Members should assume total responsibility for the safety of their media.

1. Members are allowed to make copies for non-commercial purposes of their program with FATV equipment using high quality media. Members may charge for media and a reasonable dubbing fee. If dubbing fees are greater than FATV’s current dubbing fees, then the copying will be considered commercial in nature and therefore prohibited.

2. FATV does not maintain ownership of member-produced programming and will not make copies of such programs without consent of the producer.

   • FATV may make copies of programs it captures.

Any Fitchburg resident or organization wishing to communicate with subscribers on the electronic community bulletin board for non-commercial purposes should relay a message of 35 words or less. This can be submitted by email to contact@fatv.org, or by filling out a form available on the FATV website.

All Public Service Announcements should be submitted at least two weeks in advance. Groups should include name, address, website, telephone number, and contact person. All organizations must be able to prove non-profit status.

FATV will broadcast public service announcements between programs.

1. Members are expected to clean up after themselves each time they use FATV equipment and property.

2. No animals are allowed in the building, except for service dogs, or as part of a production with prior FATV staff approval.

3. Eating and drinking are allowed only in designated areas.

4. Smoking is not allowed throughout the premises.

5. FATV provides limited props and materials for stage sets.

6. FATV office equipment, supplies, and property may not be used for sets.

7. Members may request arrangements with FATV to store props on a long-term basis. Accommodations will be considered, but not guaranteed, within the prop storage area of FATV.

8. FATV is not responsible for damaged or stolen props or sets.

FATV collects a limited amount of information from users for safety, security, and legal reasons. FATV does not share this information with other parties, except in the following instances:

• A user’s contact information may be released if, in the opinion of the Executive Director or the Board of Directors, said producer violates FATV rules or any local, state, or federal laws while engaging in any activities related to FATV resulting in a formal complaint by any party. Until a decision regarding breakage of rules or violation of law has been made by the Executive Director or the Board of Directors, only a producer’s name will be released.

• A member’s contact information may be provided to other members who are seeking help with productions for FATV.

• FATV will cooperate with government authorities who are investigating crimes, including providing any and all information we have collected to said authorities.

FATV may, from time to time, send emails or letters to users. We do not “spam” or use our lists to assist unrelated causes. All regularly scheduled emails will include an “opt-out” option.

FATV staff reserves the right to refuse the use of its facilities to any individual who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs or who interferes in any manner with the orderly conduct of business.

Members shall indemnify Fitchburg Access Television, Inc. and save it harmless from and against any and all claims, actions, damages, liability, and expense in conjunction with personal injury and/or damage to property arising from the use of FATV property, equipment or use of FATV's premises or any part thereof occasioned wholly or in part by any act or omission of Fitchburg Access Television, Inc., its agents, contracts or employees or out of breach of the Statement of Compliance.