Connecticut regulators have preliminarily denied a bid to replace Greenwich Community Television with a regional cable system, a decision that keeps local government meetings on dedicated town channels for now.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) issued the preliminary ruling against a petition by Nutmeg Public Access Television, according to the League of Women Voters of Greenwich. Nutmeg had sought to scrap Greenwich's town-focused community-access TV model and replace it with a regionalized system combining programming from multiple Southwest Connecticut municipalities.

A final decision is still pending.

The League's website states the ruling was expected by late September 2026, but no final outcome has been announced as of Oct. 18. No public response from Nutmeg Public Access Television to the preliminary denial appears in available records.

The petition, filed under PURA Docket 25-09-07, drew opposition from local officials and civic groups earlier this year. As Greenwich Free Press reported in February, the proposal would have shifted control of local access programming to Nutmeg and merged meetings from across the region into shared channels.

Drew Marzullo, former selectman and chairman of GCTV, warned in February that the change would drive viewers away. "People watch local meetings because they're local," Marzullo told Greenwich Free Press at the time. "Once you turn town government into regional background noise, people stop paying attention."

First Selectman Fred Camillo said in a February statement that the proposal would "reduce visibility and discoverability of our local board and commission meetings." He also warned it would cost Greenwich close to $8,000 in annual funding for local television operations.

GCTV is a volunteer-operated station that broadcasts live coverage of Board of Selectmen, Representative Town Meeting, Planning and Zoning and Board of Estimate and Taxation meetings, according to GCTV's website. It airs on Channel 79 on Cablevision/Altice and Channel 24 on Verizon.

The League of Women Voters of Greenwich said it submitted comments in February arguing the proposal would weaken local control of an important public-information resource. The organization said it will continue to monitor the proceeding until PURA issues its final ruling.

Upcoming

  • PURA final decision on Nutmeg petition (Docket 25-09-07): Expected but not yet issued. Greenwich residents can track the case through PURA's docket system.