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; Montgomery Connects; 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 FY27 Operating Budget for the Office of Broadband Programs is $7,824,171, an increase of $2,189,001 or 38.85 percent from the FY26 Approved Budget of $5,635,170. 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 FY27 budget.

In FY25, the County Executive shifted critical programs out of the Cable Fund and into the Department of Technology 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 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 FY26 estimates reflect funding based on the FY26 approved budget. The FY27 and FY28 figures are performance targets based on the FY27 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY28.

Program Descriptions

  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...