HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 19, 2004THE MINUTES OF THE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
FROM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1.9, 2004
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. by Demlis Stroik, Chairperson.
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Council Representative:
City Representatives:
Legal Counsel:
Comcast Representative:
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
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Bob Buboltz, Brad Peterson and Dave Mahoney.
Bruce Nawrocki
Jean Kuehn
Steve Guzzetta
Kathi Donnelly-Cohen
Motion by Ken Henke, seco~ad by Brudlev Petei°son, to approve the minutes from the meeting of October
16, 2003. All ayes.
OLD BUSINESS
A. Channel Check
The sound did not work, so the channel check could not be done. The cable box was recently
replaced with the newer digital capability and this may have had something to do with no sound.
Jean will contact a technician to make any adjustments necessary.
B. Correspondence Log and Follow Up on Complaints
Kathi Donnelly-Cohen reviewed the history of the following complaints and read the commission.
members the e-mails related to these complaints.
Beaman-3846 Tyler St NE-Had problems with poor reception. There was a problem on the main
line that was fixed and service techs replaced inside wiring which corrected the problem.
Corday-3842 Tyler St NE-Had problems with poor reception. Again a main line problem in the
neighborhood was fixed and two jumpers were replaced. The service techs also found her TV
tuner was faulty. They explained she needed a box or to run her TV through her VCR . She dial
not accept this diagnosis. Wl1en contacted by Comcast representatives, she hung up on them
several tunes.
Unger-3855 Reservoir Blvd-Her problem was resolved by replacing some wiring. When contacted
she said it was now working fine.
620 47`" Ave NE-Customer experienced poor reception on UPN, Channel 10. It was determined
there was a bad signal from UPN.
C. Other Old Business
None.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES
FEBRUARY 19, 2004
PAGE 2
NEW BUSINESS
A. Franchise Fees for 4th Quarter 2003
Franchise fees in the amount of $34,356.29 were received for 4th Quarter.
B. Franchise Renewal
A copy of a letter dated February 3, 2004 from. Comcast was enclosed in the agenda packets
regarding the Renewal of the Franchise that expires November 2006. This letter is required by
the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, whereby franchisors and cable operators are
encouraged to reach a franchise agreement through informal negotiations. If, however, this is
not accomplished, proper notice must be given to ensure that formal procedures could be
pursued. This letter serves as official notice that preserves their right to this formal procedure.
Guzzetta informed the members that Comcast now has six months to initiate the procedure.
The informal process is similar to negotiating a contract. It would require a Public Hearing
anal notices being sent to interested parties explaining what agreement has been reached. The
City can accept or deny an agreement any time during this process. If no agreement is reached
then it would go to a Formal Renewal Process whereby several. steps would need to be taken.
A needs assessment would be taken, past performance would be evaluated, and a Request for
Renewal would be filed stating the terms. Factors that would be considered are past
performance, quality of service, legal and technical qualificatians, and will it meet the needs of
subscribers for the term. of the franchise. With the constant change in technology, this is an
extremely difficult issue to forecast.
He stated. that the City would most likely try to reach an agreement informally if possible.
Stroik asked what the length of the new franchise would be. Guzzetta responded. the length of
the new franchise is determined in the negotiation process. He also stated that no action need
be taken at this time by the Commission members.
Ruen asked how cable modems fit into the renewal process. Guzzetta told him that the FCC
Ruling is being challenged so the answer to this is still in the air.
There was a discussion regarding the switchover to digital broadcasting by 2006 and whether
this is still the target date. Competition in the Industry and how it affects costs for the
consumer was also discussed.
C. Other New Business
Stroik asked about notices recently sent out to switch out analog boxes for the new digital
ones. Kathi explained that all subscribers that still have the old style boxes have been
contacted several times and that the old boxes will no longer work by the end of summer. The
digital boxes are the same price and enable subscribers to order pay per view programs, include
music and TV Guide services. She stated there is no set date to end analog signal at this time.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES
FEBRUARY 19, 2004
PAGE 3
RF PORTS
A. Report of Commissioners
Education-Nothing to report
Library-Nothing to report
Public-Nothing to report
Government-Nothing to report
B. Report of Comcast-
The reports for December 2003 and January 2004 were reviewed. Henke asked what the
current penetration rate is. Kathi explained this is not considered public information, so
this information is no longer included in the agenda packets. The information is sent to the
City and kept on file. Ruen asked if Comcast was having any problem with heavy Internet
use in this area and if so, did the company plan on restricting the use? Kathi said
California has had problems with this, but so far it has not been a problem. in this area.
Swee questioned Kathi about the number of households per node and how heavy usage
would affect the nodes.
Kathi said the cable company has received some requests for a sports tier whereby
subscribers who are interested in viewing sports programming could pay for it. She stated
that the majority of the people agree with this concept, but the minority who don't are the
most vocal. She explained that sports programming has gotten to be very costly for
Comcast and that cost is currently spread out to all subscribers.
C. Report of the Cable Attorney
Nothing further to report.
D. Report of the Special Projects Coordinator
Jean informed members that she and Terry Nightingale from Police are working on a
program in conjunction with MN DOT regarding changes that have been implemented in
our City over the last two years at various intersections and roadways. This is an
informational program on how to properly use these roadway improvements. If any of the
members have anything they would like addressed, contact Jean by next week.
Motion by Deyznis Str-oik, seco~~ided by Bob Buboltz, to adjourn the meeting at 8:10 pm. All ayes.
Respectfully submitted,
Shelley Hanson
Secretary