Latest news with #SenateBill94
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New bill makes effort to change how college sports are streamed
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — A state lawmaker said watching teams like the Ohio State Buckeyes has become a frustrating experience for many fans, complicated by the emergence of streaming services that now carry certain games each season. 'There are a dozen different streaming services and if you want to watch Big Ten football or Big Ten basketball, if you don't pay for all the services, you're going to miss your team's game because it switches from one week to the next, one game to the next, what streaming service they're actually going to be on,' said State Senator and OSU graduate Bill DeMora. Holistic pet care: How it's helping some animals live longer lives The Democrat from Columbus is proposing a bill that would ban exclusive streaming contracts for college sports in the Buckeye State. Senate Bill 94 would also require that enrolled students be given access to broadcasts of athletic events. During a hearing held by the Senate's Higher Education Committee on Tuesday, Demora told fellow lawmakers, 'I was disheartened the last two years to have Ohio State football games on streaming only services, which I don't pay for.' DeMora said fans are being unfairly gouged by the streaming-only model. 'True fans have to pay for this service and that service and that service, an extra $50, $60 every time they want to watch their team play every month,' he said. Lorain woman Sharon Matusiak, 64, killed by train at Leavitt Road crossing When asked why the state should have any say on which platforms air the games, DeMora responded, 'Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Toledo, Akron, Kent State and Cleveland State are all funded by public tax dollars, so they should not be allowed into a contract that says that only the games will be watched on a streaming service.' A spokesman for Ohio State told FOX 8, 'Media rights agreements are negotiated by the Big Ten on behalf of all conference members'. DeMora responded, 'They can say that but we all know that if Ohio State told the Big Ten, 'we're going to get our own network and not participate in the Big Ten Network,' that the Big Ten would do whatever it took to keep Ohio State because that's their money maker.' DeMora said he has received positive feedback from sports fans, but says the political reality is that there is no chance that his proposal will become law. Families share story that brought them together for Donate Life Month 'None of the bills that I sponsor ever get passed because I'm in the minority party,' he said. DeMora said his only hope is that the Republican majority will pick up the torch on behalf of college sports fans across the state and ban exclusive streaming contracts. 'It doesn't cost the taxpayers any money, and it's something that saves taxpayers money because right now, if you want to see sports, you're shelling out money hand over fist,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio senator looks to ban exclusive streaming contracts for college sports with proposed bill
A proposed bill in the Ohio Senate is taking aim at exclusive streaming contracts for college sports. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Senate Bill 94 was introduced earlier this year by Senator William DeMora (D-Columbus). TRENDING STORIES: Babysitter wanted after 1-year-old suffers third-degree burns Uber driver wearing 'Retired Drug Dealer' shirt arrested after 24 grams of meth found in car Severe storms sends trees crashing into homes, powerlines across Miami Valley If signed into law, the bill would stop state universities in Ohio from entering into or renewing a contract 'under which the media rights to broadcast a university athletic event are granted exclusively to a streaming service.' The bill would also require state universities to allow all enrolled students to watch broadcasts for free. This comes as the Big Ten Conference has a deal with Peacock and the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has one with ESPN subsidiaries, ESPN+ and ESPNU. The bill is currently in the Higher Education Committee, which had its first hearing of the bill today. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Albany community talks high utility bills, solutions at town hall meeting
ALBANY – The fight to see change regarding Albany's high utility costs is an ongoing one. An 'Energy Justice Town Hall' meeting, hosted by 9to5 Georgia, a grassroots organization working to advance economic justice, added more fuel to the fire. About 40 Albany residents gathered at the C&H Event Center on Gordon Avenue to discuss solutions to the widespread issue of expensive utility bills that has spanned about a year. Albany Utilities customers are complaining about steep bill increases, limited transparency, and inconsistent support and response when it comes to paying these bills – or not being able to pay. Most of these complaints began around the time the city began to install its new Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) about one year ago. Some customers have reported bills as high as $1,000. These concerns became so great that some residents joined 9to5 at the Georgia Capitol on Feb. 18 to vouch for Senate Bill 94, which would reinstate the Consumer Utility Council, which advocated for utility-paying customers to the state's Public Service Commission that sets utility rates. Gwen Bridges, who has been an advocate for those facing high utility bills, spoke during Tuesday night's meeting. Bridges has been researching and collecting Albany Utilities customer testimonials for about a year. 'I know tenants who are suffering right now, losing everything they have because they can't make enough money,' Bridges said. 'We have to do something, and we have to do it now.' Bridges said many of Albany's residents live in older homes that haven't seen updates as far as new roofs or HVAC systems, which can lead to higher utility bills. With the installation of the new meter system came estimated costs on bills, and many customers saw their bills spike. Albany Utilities board members claim the city has a goodwill policy in place for those behind on bills, but Bridges said not everyone receives the same help or ease at accessing relief. Manni Hayes, a Washington, D.C., resident, attended Tuesday's meeting for family members who are Albany residents struggling with high utility bills. Hayes said she has three senior sisters who live in Albany. Hayes told her family's stories through tear-filled eyes. Her 82-year-old sister, she said, has early onset dementia and requires oxygen around the clock. 'She's not eating properly, and she doesn't have an oxygen tank that can travel with her,' Hayes said. 'She can't afford it because of an $800 utility bill just to keep her house cooler. It's just her. And I've got my 78-year-old sister killing herself to help her.' Hayes said she traveled to Albany from D.C. to try to help her family and figure out the cause of her sisters' costly bills. Hayes said seniors are important, and they deserve to do more than just survive. 'Families are struggling to keep their lights on, to keep their homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer, all while trying to put food on the table, raise our kids and enjoy some quality of life, and yet, what options are we getting?' Miranda Mathis, the civic engagement coordinator with local nonprofit SOWEGA Rising, said. Attendees called on the city to exercise a consistent goodwill policy and to use the more than $1.5 million in utilities rebate funds to relieve Albany Utilities customers. Corey Morgan, a Camilla councilman and 9to5's climate justice manager, pointed to Camilla, where a majority of the council voted Monday to issue a round of $100 utility credits to all residential customers. 'It can absolutely happen,' he said. 'Let's all join together and make this happen.' Mathis said Tuesday's meeting was about more than just utility bills. 'It's about power, and not just the kind that keeps our homes running, but the kind that we have as a community, the power that we have, which is our right to ask questions, to demand solutions and stay with leaders who we hope will fight for us,' she said. Speakers urged Albany's Ward VI residents to go out and vote in the special election, which will fill the spot left vacant by late Commissioner Demetrius Young. Turnout during the first week of early voting was low, and only 45 voters had cast ballots as of Tuesday. The Ward VI special election is scheduled for March 18. Early voting began the week of Feb. 24. Qualified candidates include Samuel Wright, Samuel Gaines and Diana Brown. Brown attended Tuesday night's Energy Justice meeting. Bridges urged those with utility bill complaints to contact Albany Utilities at (229) 883-8330 and to confront Albany Utilities Board members at meetings, scheduled the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. 'One voice can be heard, but 1,000 can't be ignored,' she said.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What Georgia Lawmakers Are Doing About Your Sky-High Utility Bills
Ariana Brazier is sick of paying sky-high light bills. The 31-year-old Decatur resident said she's seen her Georgia Power electric bill surge from about $90 a month in 2023 to roughly $300 a month this year. The added financial stress has left her in a 'constant panic' over ways to reduce her expenses. She's one of many Black Georgians dealing with rising energy costs in recent years who want regulatory agencies in charge of approving utility rate hikes to stop greenlighting them at the expense of consumers struggling to make ends meet. 'It feels unfathomable to me that these monopolistic companies like Georgia Power have any reason to hike rates,' Brazier told Capital B Atlanta on Tuesday. Roughly 100 Black Georgians like Brazier recently joined the voter engagement group Black Voters Matter for its Feb. 25 visit to the Gold Dome in Atlanta. Organizers said the goal of the trip was to bring voters from across the state to speak with lawmakers about the issues important to them, such as the elevated cost of living in metro Atlanta. For many, that included advocating for passage of Senate Bill 94, a measure introduced by Georgia Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, in early February that would restore an advisory group called the Consumers' Utility Counsel. If enacted, the counsel would represent the interest of utility customers in matters brought before the state's Public Service Commission, a five-member elected body that regulates electric, natural gas, and telecommunications services in Georgia and decides what utility service rates are fair and reasonable for most of the state. Some Georgia residents and consumer advocacy groups have accused the PSC of rubber-stamping rate hikes for Georgia Power, leaving customers grappling with higher energy bills. The group has approved six Georgia Power rate hikes since 2023, the last of which took effect in January. Georgia Power provides electricity to more than 2.7 million people throughout the state, including most of the people living in the Atlanta region. Since 2023, the average residential customer is paying $43 more per month on their electric bill, according to WABE. The latest 3.5% hike alone resulted in customers spending about $5.48 more on their typical household bill, according to the Georgia Recorder. PSC spokesman Tom Krause says the rubber-stamping accusation against the commission is 'demonstrably false,' and shows a lack of understanding of how the regulatory body works. He said PSC commissioners litigate rate increases requested by Georgia Power like court cases, and noted that the commission already has staff members who evaluate Georgia Power utility rate increases on behalf of consumers. 'They go through the entire process of what Georgia Power has asked for in a rate case,' Krause said of the Public Interest Advocacy staff. 'They litigate that, literally, with expert witnesses, with testimony in public hearings before the Public Service Commission.' Hufstetler told Capital B Atlanta that he was reintroducing SB 94 to give Georgia citizens more input on utility rates. A similar measure he introduced during last year's legislative session stalled in the state House after passing in the state Senate. The state House or the state Senate must pass the legislation by the General Assembly's Crossover Day deadline on Thursday for it to be signed into law as a standalone bill this year. (Proposals that don't make the Crossover Day deadline can still be added as amendments to other bills). Former Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue shut down Georgia's previous Consumers' Utility Counsel in 2008 to save money during the state's Great Recession-related budget crisis. Hufstetler said Georgia is one of a handful of 'states that don't have a consumer utility protection person that looks out for their interest, and we certainly need it.' 'Somebody needs to have some representation for the consumers,' he added. An amendment approved in February would make the Consumers' Utility Counsel an affiliate of the state attorney general's office that would weigh in on PSC matters. As of Tuesday, SB 94's fate resides with members of the Senate Rules Committee, where state Sen. Matt Brass, R-Newnan, serves as chairman. Brionte McCorklé, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group, advised Black folks who want to have greater say in how much they're paying on their energy bills to reach out to Brass as well as their district's state lawmakers and tell them to pass SB 94. She said lawmakers opposed to measures like SB 94 often argue they're not supported by the public. 'It's incredibly important that you call your senator, you call your representative, you tell them, 'Hey, look, I want this Consumer Utility Counsel. I'm tired of my bills being high,'' McCorkle said. 'Tell them how high your bills are. Tell them what you've been dealing with, because they try to act like it's not a big deal and people aren't concerned.' All five PSC commissioners are Republicans. Two of them, Tim Echols, whose district includes part of east Georgia, and Fitz Johnson, whose district includes metro Atlanta, are up for reelection in November. Echols noted that PSC didn't raise rates at all during the pandemic and that energy bills are up across the United States, not just in Georgia. 'Every state is experiencing higher energy bills due to higher fuel cost, wages and grid improvements,' Echols told Capital B Atlanta via email on Monday. 'Utility bills are still just 3% of the average family's total expenses because everything else has gone up in price too.' But Black families in metro Atlanta and around the state are struggling with high energy costs, according to Melinee Calhoun, senior organizing manager for Georgia's Black Voters Matter division. The energy burden endured by Black Georgians in rural parts of the state, such as South Georgia, is also substantial, she added. 'We have communities such as Dougherty County where we have families living in public housing that are paying $1,000 light bills,' Calhoun said. 'If you live in public housing and your utilities are shut off, you immediately get an eviction notice. So not only [are] utilities an energy burden issue. It's a housing issue.' The post What Georgia Lawmakers Are Doing About Your Sky-High Utility Bills appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmaker looks to ban exclusive airing of Ohio State football on streaming platforms
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A state lawmaker is looking to ban Ohio State football games from airing exclusively on a streaming service. Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) introduced Senate Bill 94 last month, which would prohibit public universities in Ohio from granting the broadcasting rights to an athletic event exclusively to a streaming service. Proposed law could extend Ohio's school year DeMora was inspired to work on a bill after an October 2023 Ohio State-Purdue football game aired exclusively on Peacock — a platform run by NBC's parent company but not by NBC4 or its parent company, Nexstar. The sporting event marked the first time in 315 games that a Buckeyes game was not nationally televised, according to Ohio State's College of Arts and Sciences. 'It was the first time in over 20 years that I couldn't watch an Ohio State football game on a regular channel,' DeMora said. 'I refuse to pay all these streaming networks to watch Ohio State and other sports. … Streaming television is not good for sports.' DeMora also argued the exclusive airing of Ohio State games on streaming platforms hurts business at local bars and restaurants, many of whom make a large portion of their profits from game days. He said Peacock charged membership fees per television during the 2023 game and that Varsity Club, across Lane Avenue from campus, spent $3,600 to stream it. The bill would also require state universities to 'work out a deal' with streaming companies that would allow all enrolled students to watch university athletic events for free, DeMora said. Hateful message left on restaurant receipt results in outpouring of support 'Students at public universities should not have to pay out-of-pocket expenses any time they want to watch their classmates participate in sports,' DeMora said. 'It's not too much to ask with all the money that the universities are getting with all these new TV contracts.' Media rights to Ohio State athletics – or agreements regarding game coverage – brought in more than $52 million in revenue in 2024, according to the NCAA's annual financial report. For most universities, media rights are negotiated by conferences and not schools. It's not just football on streaming platforms. Basketball games for the men's and women's teams this season have aired on Peacock and on the streaming platform of the Big Ten Network. DeMora introduced a similar bill last February, which did not pass before the end of the legislative session. One introductory hearing was held, but it did not reach the point of receiving opponent testimony. Morgan schools loses superintendent, could career program be next? Eight college football games per year are expected to air exclusively on Peacock through 2029, thanks to a Big Ten seven-year deal signed in 2022. DeMora's proposed legislation would only apply to new or renewed contracts. So far, two Ohio State football games have exclusively streamed on Peacock, with the second being the Michigan State game in September. 'It's ridiculous that we have to pay so much extra money to so many different services in order to watch my alma mater or any public university in Ohio,' DeMora said. SB 94 was referred to the Senate's Higher Education Committee, where it awaits its first hearing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
