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Welcome to TARA

The Office of Telecommunications & Regulatory Affairs (TARA) is a division of the Financial & Administrative Services Department. TARA oversees the private use of public rights-of-way, ensuring fair use and compensation for this valuable public asset. We are responsible for the administration of cable, electric and gas utility franchises, as well as the licensing of telecommunications services that use the rights-of-way.

Functions of TARA include:

• Ensuring that providers using the public rights of way are properly licensed to use this valuable public asset.
• Staffing and advising the Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission, which has advisory authority to the Austin City Council in all matters related to community technology, telecommunications and cable television.
• Managing contracts and resources for access television services.
• Managing the Institutional Network (I-Net) - Live Feed Request form here
• Administering the Community Technology Initiative.
• Providing assistance to cable subscribers and utility customers with complaints, questions, and concerns (contact 512-974-2999).
• Providing claims services for the City of Austin.

For more information, please see the slide presentation on TARA functions.

News:
	The City of Austin's site for community engagement, Speak Up Austin, now features a section for examining public access TV and its future. The online discussion forum is meant to gather ideas and information for shaping a new business model that can go into the next public access contract.
	The Benton Foundation has launched an online tool for tracking all recommendations, goals and related actions in the National Broadband Plan. For example, it has a page on "Local broadband initiatives" showing the three recommendations in this area. The tracker will continue to add material for each recommendation.
	The National Broadband Plan: "100 million U.S. homes should have affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second."

Note: if your accessibility software has difficulty with any of the linked documents, please contact our office and we will be glad to make arrangements for accessing them.