June 16, 2008

Resolution #103: Digital Television (DTV) Transition Outreach and Education supports the digital television transition; and calls upon Congress to increase funding in order to make the transition as smooth as possible by ensuring overall public awareness and preparedness, urges Congress to increase federal funding targeted for public broadcast television stations to undertake these activities, and encourages mayors to meet with their local broadcasters, as well as employ local Public, Education and Governmental (PEG) channels, to better educate their constituents on the impending deadline.

Resolution #104: Calling for Federal Action on a National Broadband Policy calls on the Administration, Congress and the FCC to develop a comprehensive national broadband policy that includes high speed broadband deployment to cities as an imperative; that preserves the ability of local governments to provide broadband capability and services within their communities, that the speed of Internet access available to American consumers, enterprises and institutions is comparable to that available in the most advanced industrialized nations, that high'speed Internet services are ubiquitous in availability to all American households in all neighborhoods, and that affordable high-speed Internet access is attainable for all American consumers and families; urges the FCC to begin immediately collecting detailed information on broadband coverage and use and share said data with local governments and urges the Administration, Congress; and calls on the FCC to work with local governments to facilitate an expansion of resources to speed the development of affordable globally-competitive infrastructure in American cities

and urges the Administration, Congress; and calls on the FCC to work with local governments to facilitate an expansion of resources to speed the development of affordable globally-competitive infrastructure in American cities

Resolution #105: 2008 Communications Policy calls upon the Conference to:

• preserve the local cable franchising scheme set out in 1984 federal Cable Act (and affirmed in 1992 and 1996) in which municipalities have the right to require all providers address each community’s needs in exchange for using our rights of way, with such authority empowering localities to require as compensation for use of rights of way the build-out to all residents, adequate capacity for community channels, equipment and financial support including “Institutional Networks” for use by local government for non-commercial purposes and preservation of local police powers and consumer protections;

• affirm local governments’ ability to control the rights-of-way and regulate the actions of providers who reside in the city’s rights-of-way;

• require that new technologies bear the same social obligations as the services they seek to replace such as supporting E-911 services, universal service;

• oppose any preemption of state and local governments’ consumer protection laws and zoning authority, ensure that wireless providers, like their competitors, should be subject to local fair business practices and local cell tower siting authority, encourage competition among multiple IP service providers by assuring non-discriminatory access and interconnection to broadband connections (net neutrality;

• resist attempts to auction for private purposes the so called D-Block of 700 MHz spectrum earmarked for state and local public safety and to properly fund the operations of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust, seek to fund and assist national standards for interoperable public safety standards for first responders;

• preserve and extend municipal government authority to provide communications services to their constituents;

• enact legislation to treat Internet commerce in the same manner as main street vendors; and

• ensure that these principles guide the Conference’s activities for the remainder of the 110th Congress, with the platform writing committees of the Democratic and Republican Parties, the 111th Congress and the 44th President of the United States.

Resolution #106: Support for the Expansion of Intercity Passenger Rail urges the passage of federal legislation recognizing the current Amtrak system as a national asset and encourages the development of higher speed rail corridors throughout the country to enhance our transportation network.

Resolution #107: Support and Expand Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor Train Service supports the passage of federal legislation recognizing the Northeast Corridor as a national asset and encourages the development and growth of high-speed rail corridors throughout the country to enhance our national passenger rail network.

Resolution #108: Providing Adequate Funding Sources to Address Capacity Needs in the National Airspace System through FAA Reauthorization calls upon the Congress to act now to reauthorize this vital legislation rather than utilizing continuing resolutions making it difficult for airport officials to plan future projects, thereby allowing an increase in the PFC cap and an increase in the authorized level of AIP funding to meet the rise in construction costs, the impact of inflation, and the demand for airport capacity growth; and further urges the Congress to raise the maximum PFC cap to $7.50 per flight, to index this increase to inflation, and to authorize at least $3.8 billion in AIP funding, with an increase of $100 million each year thereafter.

Resolution #4:4Ensuring Bicycling is Integrated into National Transportation, Climate, Energy and Health Policy Initiatives indicates that bicycling is in the national interest; encourages the development and implementation of a coordinated national bicycling strategy aimed to increase safe bicycle use as a mode of transportation and the development of federal transportation, environmental and public health policies that recognize increased and safe bicycle usage for transportation is in the national interest; urges Congress in the next federal transportation reauthorization to establish policies and funding mechanisms that will reduce the number of motor vehicle miles traveled (VMT), improve safety conditions for bicyclists, collect transportation and safety data needed to monitor progress and provide incentives for state and local governments to adopt and implement Complete Street policies designed to accommodate all users; urges Governors and state-level leadership, independent of new federal transportation legislation, to embrace Complete Streets policies that acknowledge the contributions of bicycles as a means to reduce vehicle miles by integrating bicycle use into standard street design; and calls on all mayors that sign onto the Climate Protection Agreement to develop and implement action plans to incorporate bicycling programs and policies as a key component in reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050, and that the U.S. Conference of Mayors encourages every mayor to strive to make their city a Bicycle Friendly Community.

cies designed to accommodate all users; urges Governors and state-level leadership, independent of new federal transportation legislation, to embrace Complete Streets policies that acknowledge the contributions of bicycles as a means to reduce vehicle miles by integrating bicycle use into standard street design; and calls on all mayors that sign onto the Climate Protection Agreement to develop and implement action plans to incorporate bicycling programs and policies as a key component in reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050, and that the U.S. Conference of Mayors encourages every mayor to strive to make their city a Bicycle Friendly Community.

Resolution #109: Support for Public Transportation in Light of Increasing Fuel Costs calls upon the President and Congress to provide cities with financial resources and tools to create, promote and expand public transportation thereby improving the economic condition of the American family, eliminating dependence on oil and improving the environment.

Resolution #110: Increasing Federal Role in Setting Clear Priorities and Adequately Funding the National Surface Transportation System urges Members of Congress to immediately provide renewed leadership in making infrastructure a national priority and providing funding to maintain and expand our infrastructure networks, help fight climate change, and promote domestic jobs, both through the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization and future legislation; and urges mayors to become active in the infrastructure debate through The U.S. Conference of Mayors, Building America’s Future, and other avenues in order to bring attention to the serious infrastructure needs of the country.

Resolution #111: Surface Transportation Policy Framework for Federal Successor Legislation to SAFETEA-LU outlines principles to guide the new federal surface transportation law, indicating that the Conference:

• concurs with the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission’s recommendation that Congress and the President should not provide additional revenues in support of the nation’s surface transportation needs until necessary program reforms are incorporated into successor legislation to SAFETEA-LU;

• calls on Congress to develop and implement a comprehensive, forward-looking federal vision for the nation’s overall transportation policy to which tangible investment outcomes must be tied, as well as expanded data collection and transparency, in order to enable evidence-based decisions and greater accountability focused on improving economic productivity, the environment, and the range of transportation choices that allow personal mobility to access economic and social opportunities;

• urges that federal transportation policy and program decisions reflect greater modal neutrality focused on achieving substantive outcomes, with more equivalent treatment in the assessment of both highway and transit capacity projects by applying comparable criteria and mechanisms, such as investment studies that apply cost-benefit analyses and disclosure of long-term financial requirements, as well as lesser disparity in typical federal match by mode to reduce distortion of local decisions;

• supports efforts to incorporate a Metropolitan Mobility Program, consistent with the recommendation of the National Commission, a new initiative that fully empowers local elected officials in metropolitan areas to allocate available resources and make project selection decisions among all surface transportation modes, with the share of federal transportation resources to states and/or within states calibrated to the economic output of these metropolitan areas;

• indicates that local and state projects that reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions should be given priority when federal transportation resources are being used, especially when investing in new system capacity, including proper weighting for the value of stimulating efficient, high-density transit-oriented development and its environmental benefits;

• urges that the current federal formula for apportioning funding among the states be modified to ensure that it does not provide incentives for greater consumption versus conservation;

• calls on Congress to consider in addition to user fees other transportation financing strategies including how the federal government might reward greater state investment, modal neutrality in use of state transportation funds, and the potential value of federal capital budgeting approaches in infrastructure programs, creation of national bond funds, and other proposals, consistent with these reforms;

• encourages public-private partnerships that support transportation priorities, including use of congestion pricing and variable tolling, also should be considered as potentially valuable tools in addressing congestion, travel demand management, and infrastructure investment needs, depending on local circumstances, but should be viewed in a holistic context and not simply for a financing objective;

• considers other incentives for a range of market-based demand management strategies such as commuter choice, car sharing, feebate programs, location-efficiency, parking cash-out, and pay-as-you-drive (PAYD) auto insurance programs; and

• urges reforms including requiring maintenance of existing transportation assets in a state of good repair, standardizing of federal rules governing all new surface capacity investments (i.e., highways, transit, port connections, freight facilities and intercity rail), mainstreaming of planning and funding eligibilities for intercity passenger and freight rail projects, and applying new performance requirements to measure how program resources are being used, such as reductions in fatalities and injuries, household transportation expenditures, maintenance liabilities, congestion, unhealthy air quality, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions.