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May 20, 2004
CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 590 40th Avenue N.E., Columbia Heights, MN 55421-3878 (763) 706-3600 TDD (763) 706-3692 Vi.ri! Our Websile at• wrvw.ci.columbirr-heighls.mn.us MEETING OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 7:00 PM, THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2004 CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM Please contact Jean at 706-3613 if ,you are unable to attend. AGENDA: 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of February 19, 2004 4. Old Business a. Channel Check b. Correspondence Log and Company Follow Up on Complaints-Cleasby c. Other Old Business 5. New Business a. Addition of NBA TV Service b. Franchise Renewal c. FCC Fee Increase d. Annual Report e. Pricing Adjustments effective June 2004 f. Franchise Fees for ls' Quarter 2004 g. CableCare/Cable Guard h. MACTA Newsletter i. Other New Business Reports a. Report of Commissioners Assigned to Access Channels: Educational Access-Dan Swee; Libral•y Access-Bob Buboltz; Government Access--Ken Henke; Public Access-- Reuben Ruen b. Report of Comcast- Feb-Apri12004 Reports --Outage Report --Prolnams Produced c. Other Reports 8. Adjournment The City of Colombia Heights does not diem•iminate on [ho basis or disability in the admission or access tq or treahnent or employment in, its services, programs, m• activities. Upon request, acconunodfltion will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities [o participate in all City of Colwnhia Heights' services, programs, and activities. Anxilim'y aids ror handicapped persons are available upon regnest when the regnest Is made a[ (east 96 ham's In advance. Please eflll the Deputy City, Clerk a[ 706-3611, to make arrangements. (TDD 706-3692 tm' deaf or hearing impaired only) THE CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE 6A515 OF DISABILITY IN EMPLOYMENT OR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER THE MINUTES OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FROM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2004 The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m, by Dennis Stroik, Chairperson. ROLL CALL: Commission Members Council Representative: City Representatives: Legal Counsel: Comcast Representative APPROVAL OF MINUTES Dennis Stroik, Reuben Ruen, Dan Swee, Ken Henke, Bob Buboltz, Brad Peterson and Dave Mahoney. Bruce Nawrocki Jean Kuehn Steve Guzzetta Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Motion by Ken Henke, second by Bradley Peterson, 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 did not accept this diagnosis. When contacted by Comcast representatives, she hung up on them several times. Unger-3855 Reservoir Blvd-Her problem was resolved by replacing some wiring. When contacted she said it was now working fine. 620 47`h 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 and 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 qualifications, 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 PAGE3 REPORTS 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 Dennis Stroik, seconded by Bob Buboltz, to adjourn the meetirag at 8:10 pm. All ayes. Respectfully submitted, Shelley Hanson Secretary SUBSCRIBER COMPLAINT FORM COMPLAINT (x) INQUIRY^~ Construction _ Restoration: Customer Service _ Billing _ Rates Er/uij~znent Competition _ Line Extension x Progran:nn:ing Technical Service _ Inzternzet Service Other DATE: Auril 30, 2004 Submitted by Jean Kuehn / 763-706-3613 / City of Columbia Heights, / 590 40"' Ave NE On behalf of: Name : Mr. Jim Cleasbv Address City Columbia Heights State: MN Zip: 55421 Home Telephone 763-789-7889 Work Telephone; Description of Complaint; Mr Cleasbv is a Twins fan and is ver~fiustrated at the lack ofpro reg ss in eg ttinQ them back on TV. He feels Comeast is not negotiating in good faith and they shoLild accept Victory's offer to broadcast the games while "talking" He also feels Cable rates should be reduced if the Twins games are NOT being carried. He has gone to far as to call the home office in Peimsylvania and those"communists" just gave. him the same line as before. He wants to know what is going on and why is Comcast being so hard-nose about the Twins. Other Resolution requested (if applicable):.Please contact Please resolve no later than 4:30 p.m. Information given How complaint Time: Company Representative who processed the complaint/inquiry; Comcast® Ka[hi Domrelly-Cohen Direcbr -Government Relations (651)493-5281 (651) 493-5288 - NAX March 30, 2004 Ms. Linda Magee Assistant to the City Manager Columbia Heights Cable Commission 590 40th Avenue NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Re: NBA TV Addition Dear Linda: Cmncast Cable Communications, Inc. 10 River Park Pfaza SI Paul, MN 551 07-1 21 0 Beginning April 1, 2004, Comcast will launch NBA TV as part of its Digital Cable service. This addition does not replace any other service rather it is an addition to our digital service offerings. This addition will be automatic to subscribers to the Digital Extra package and all subscribers will be notified of its availability via a bill message. Please note: Certain blackout restrictions will apply to live game coverage. The NBA TV line-up includes more than 200 games from the NBA (ttp to 50 in high definition), WNBA, NBDL, Summer League, USA Basketball, htternational and Euroleauge. In addition to nightly highlights and up-to-the-minute information, NBA TV will air 20 original programs, including NBA TV Insiders, Real Playoff 2004, Ahmad Rashad One-On-One, Basketballlnterrcational and Gatorade Virtual GM. In addition, through a separate agreement with NBA Entertainment, Comcast will soon provide customers with access to NBA video-on-demand programming as part of its ON DEMAND service. On-demand content will include game highlight packages as well as popular programs such as NBA Inside Stuff. ON DEMAND will be available to Twin Cities area Comcast subscribers later this year. Comcast is excited to be able to continue to offer new services to our customers. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerel~y,~ l Kathi Donnelly-Cvtrott G~. RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE COMMENCEMENT OF FORMAL RENEWAL PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE FEllERAL CABLE COMMUNICATIONS POLICY ACT OF 1984, AS AMENDEll WHEREAS, the City of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, ("City") adopted Ordinance No. 1202, amending Ordinance No. 853 (collectively, the Cable Commmnications Franchise Ordinance set forth in Chapter 11 of the City Code ("Franchise Ordinance")) on or about June 25, 1990, authorizing Teleprompter of Columbia Heights/Hilltop, Inc. d/b/a Cable T.V. North Central to construct, operate and maintain a cable system within the territorial limits of the City ("Franchise"); and WI-IEREAS, as a result of several transfers of the Franchise, Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. ("Comcast") is the current holder and owner of the Franchise; and WIIEREAS, by the teens of the Franchise Ordinance, the Franchise is scheduled to expire on November 9, 2006; and WHEREAS, by letter dated February 3, 2004, from Comcast to the City, Comcast invoked the formal renewal procedure set forth in Section 626 of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, as amended, 47 U.S.C. § 546 (the "Cable Act"); and WHEREAS, Section 626(x)(1) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(x)(1), provides that if an appropriate written renewal request is submitted by the cable operator during the 6-month period which begins with the 36th month befa•e franchise expiration and ends with the 30th month prior to franchise expiration, a franchising authority shall, within six months of the request, commence a proceeding to identify the firture cable-related community needs and interests, and to review the performance of the cable operator tinder the franchise during the then current franchise term; and WHEREAS, the City is desirous of commencing the renewal proceedings specified in Section 626(x)(1) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(x)(1) and, at the same time, of also considering the possibility of pursuing the informal renewal process with Comcast pursuant to Section 626(h) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(h); and WHEREAS, the City must provide the public with notice of, and an opportunity to participate in, proceedings under Section 626(x) of the Cable Act, and such proceedings may involve the collection and analysis of information from Comcast, City agencies and departments, the public and other interested parties and may require one or more public hearings; and WHEREAS, the City desires that the proceedings under Section 626(x) of the Cable Act be managed and conducted by the City Manager, or his designee; and WHEREAS, the City intends to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to take any and all steps required or desired to comply with the requirements of the Cable Act and the Franchise Ordinance. NOW, THEREFORE, the following is resolved: Section 1. That the City hereby commences formal franchise renewal ascertainment and past performance proceedings under Section 626(x)(1) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(x)(1), concerning Comcast. Section 2. That the City Manager, or his designee, is authorized to manage and conduct proceedings in accordance with Section 626(x)(1) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(x)(1), and to take all steps and actions necessary or desired to conduct such proceedings and to comply with applicable law. Section 3. That the City Manager, or his designee, may explore with Comcast the possibility of pursuing the informal renewal process under Section 626(h) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(h). If the City and Comcast decide to utilize the informal renewal process, the City Manager, or his designee, is authorized to negotiate with Comcast concerning matters relating to the renewal of the Franchise. Section 4. That the City Manager, or his designee, shall provide the public with notice of, and an opportunity to participate in, proceedings conducted under Section 626(x)(1) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(x)(1). Section 5. That the City Manager, or his designee, may establish procedures and dates for the conduct of any hearings related to the Section 626(x) proceedings and may establish procedures and dates for the submission of testimony and other information in connection with the proceeding. Section 6. That the City Manager, or his designee, is authorized to request Comcast to submit such information as maybe deemed appropriate in connection with the Section 626(x) proceedings, to gather such other information from other persons or sources as may be deemed appropriate, and to take such fiuther steps as maybe needed or desired to ensure the City's and the public's interests are fully protected. Section 7. That the City reserves, to the full extent permitted by law, all of its riglrts with respect to determining whether to renew the Franchise. Section 8. That the City Manager, or its designee, shall keep the City Council fully apprised of the status and progress of franchise renewal proceedings and negotiations. Passed this day of , 2004. Offered by: Seconded by; Roll Call: Mayor Julienne Wyckoff Patricia Muscovitz, Deputy City Clerk COI'YICCISt® Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Director-Government Relations (651) 493-5281 (851) 493-5288 -FAX February 23, 2004 Ms. Linda Magee Assistant to the City Manager Columbia Heights Cable Commission 590 40th Avenue NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Re: FCC Fee Increase Dear Linda: Comcast CaAle Communications, inc. 10 fliver Park Plaza St Paul, MN 551 07-1 21 9 This is to inform you that effective April 2004, the per•customer fee assessed by the FCC will increase from $.05 to $.06 per month per directive of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC} Customers will receive a bill message 30 days prior to that change. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, ~ G~ Kathl nnelly-Co en C®mCast® Ka[hi Donnelly-Cohen Director-Government Relations (651)493-5281 (G51) 493-5288 -FAX March 10, 2004 Ms. Linda Magee City of Columbia Heights 590 40°i Street NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Re: Annual Report Dear Linda: Comcast Cable Communications, Inc. 10 River Park Plaza St Paul, MN 55107-1219 Attached please find the 2003 Annual Report of Comcast to the City of Columbia Heights. I have enclosed a number of original documents rather than photocopies such as the subscriber handbooks, annual notification to subscribers of terms and conditions, channel line-up card, and the Comcast 2002 Annual Report. I have also included a new piece that Comcast has prepared as part of our first anniversary message to the community. We will be sending out additional copies of that brochure in coming weeks. The financial statement requires an outside auditor's review. That review will occur in the next few weeks and the statement will be submitted under separate cover. The 2003 Annual Report of Comcast will not be printed and available until April 2004 but I will send you a copy of that report as soon as it is available. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, l~ Kathi INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT Board of Directors and Stockholder Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Deloitte &Touche LLP 1700 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19103-3984 USA Tel: +1 215 246 2300 Fax: +1 215 569 2441 www.deloitte.com ,!. We have audited the accompanying schedule of gross receipts, as defined in Section 11.102 (14) of the Cable Communications Franchise Ordinance No. 1202 (the "Ordinance"), of Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. (the "Company") for the franchise area of the City of Columbia Heights, Minnesota (the "Schedule") for the year ended December 31, 2003. The Schedule is the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Schedule based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the Schedule is free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the Schedule. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall Schedule presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. In our opinion, such Schedule presents fairly, in all material respects, the gross receipts, as defined in the Ordinance referred to above, of Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. for the franchise area described above for the year ended December 31, 2003. This report is intended solely for the information and use of the Board of Directors and Stockholder of Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. and the City of Columbia Heights, Minnesota and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties, ~e,P~-~i ~, ' 1 eu..PA. c~c.t~ March 26, 2004 Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu COMCAST OF MINNESOTA, INC. SCHEDULE OF GROSS RECEIPTS CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2003 GROSS RECEIPTS $2,713,171 NOTE: The amount of gross receipts above is recorded in accordance evith Section 11.102 (14) of the Cable Communications Franchise Ordinance No. 1202 of the City of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, and includes franchise fees charged to subscribers. In accordance with the Federal Communications Commission (the "FCC") ruling that determined cable modem service is not a "cable service" as defined by the Communications Act, the gross receipts above do not include cable modem service revenues. 2003 COLUMBIA HEIGHTS ANNUAL REPORT Submitted March 10, 2004 Financial Information Officers and Directors Stockholders Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. Officers i~ Brian L. Roberts Chairman Stephen B. Burke President John R. Alchin Co-Chief Financial Officer John.R~:Alchin Executive Vice President John R, Alchin Treasurer Ww~ehce S, smith. Co-Chief Financial Officer Lawrence S. Smith Executive Vice President David M, Fellows Chief Technology Officer David M. Fellows Executive Vlce President David p:SCOtt President - MldwesY Division David L. Cohen Executive Vice President David-L;.Cohen_. Assistant.Secretary Terry S. Bienstock Executive Vice President Terry S: 8lenstock General Counsel Terry S. Bienstock Assistant Secretary . Mlchael.S, Tallent Ezecufive.Vice President-Finance ahdAdministration Executive Vice President -New Business Steve Silva - Development Madison E'. Bohd- Executive Vice President -Programming::- Executive Vice President -Sales, Marketing and David N. Watson Customer Service ArEhuCR-..Block Senior Vice President Arthur R. Block Assistant Treasurer ArthuP,R,-,.Block. Secretary Lawrence J. Salva Senior Vice President RoberkS. Pick Senior Vice- President -Corporate Development Sheila R. Willard Senior Vice President -Government Affairs Thbmas R. Nathan Senior Vice President -Legal and Regulatory Affairs- Thomas R. Nathan Deputy General Counsel Thomas:R-.-Nathan AsslStantSecretary Rian 1. Wren Senior Vice President -Operations Telephony Mark AS.Coblitz.. Senior Vlce President- Strategic. Planning D. Douglas Gaston Vice President D. Douglas Gaston- Deputy General Cbuhsel D. Douglas Gaston Assistant Secretary Ernest~A.-Pighlni Vice Prosidenk Ernest A. Pighini Controller VohrtG!;;Sullivan VlcePresldent John G. Sullivan Assistant Secretary Kevln:C. Luddihy-- Vicepresident - Ad Sales Peter B, Reisinger Vlce President - Ad Sales Operations Philip M. Paligraf' Vice. President - Ad Sales Operations Roland Trombley Vice President - Ad Sales Operations David V, Buhl Vice. President - Customer'Operabons= John Olander III Vice President -Engineering and Technical Operations Brian Kehna Vice President - Finahce Jeffrey 5. Ossowski Vice President -Finance Kenrieth Vice President -Finance Mikalauekas Kenneth Assistant Treasurer Mikalauskas Russ Borrows Vice President -Finance William E. Vice President -Finance Dordelman _3 William E. assistant Treasurer Dordelman Joseph F. DiTrolio Vlce President -Financial Operations Diane M. Dietz VicePresident-GovernmentandPublicRelations John F. Gi66s Vice President -Government and Regulatory Affairs Ardella F. Darst Vice President.-Humon Resources Lorene Murray Vice President -Human Resources Marie MacMillian Vice Presidenh-Human Resources Donald F. Williams Vice President -Operations Michael A.Llelahd Vlce President- Operations. Gerald C. O'Brien Vice President -Real Estate Livingston L.: Biddle Vice President -'Real Estate Investments Kevin J. Gardner Vice President -Sales and Marketing C, Stephen. Backstrom Vice President -Taxation Greg Dudkin Vlce President -Technical Operations Timothy p. Collins Division Vice President -Advanced Services Telephony Joseph R. Stackhouse Regional Senior Vice President Linda 5. Hossinger Regional5ehior Vice President -Operations Brian Richardson Regional Vice President -Finance WilllamD.. Black Regional Vice President -Government Affairs Eric A. Schaefer Regional Vice President -Marketing David Diers Regional Vice President -Telephony Operations Linda Alperin Regional Vice President -Telephony Operations ]ohh Parr Area Vice President Michael V. Casillo Area Vice President Brian J.. Sullivan Area Vice President -Business Services George E. Booth Area Vice President -Operations Leigh Ann Hughes. Area-Vice President -Operations Sandra L. Welcher Area Vice President -Operations Steve W,-Makowski AreaVicePresident-Operations William G. Wright Area Vice President -Operations William-R. Robertson Area-VicePres(dent -Operations Steve Thomas System Vice President -Operations Directors Arthur R, Block i Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. Organization Chart ~ Comcast Corporation ~ too~r Comcast Cable Communications Holdings, Inc. Type title here tool ~ Comcast MO Group, Inc. ~ tool ~ Comcast of Georgia, Inc. f too^r ~ Comcast MO of Delaware, LLC ~ too^io Comcast MO o~f Minnesota, Inc. ~ toor Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. Survey of Subscribers /_ Columbia Heights Survey Results -March 2004 1. How long have you been a subscriber? 0 - 12 Months 52 12 - 24 Months 33 24 - 36 Months 29 Over 36 Months 446 2. What level of service you currently subscribe to? Check all that apply Basic 1 116 Basic 1 & 2 399 Some premium services 99 Internet Service 93 Digital Video 89 3. How much do you pay on the average for your monthly service? 0 - $15 45 $51 - $60 93 $16 - 30 9 $61 - $70 37 $31 - $40 13 $71 -higher 149 $41 - $50 207 4. What is your general level of satisfaction with the following? Excellent Very Good Good Poor Programming 38 165 245 89 Picture Quality 75 197 204 44 Sound Levels 70 199 199 59 No Opinion 18 12 11 5. Comcast has an automated response system that allows us to direct your call to the appropriate area or to advise you of a technical problem in your area. If you have contacted Comcast's Customer Service line at 651-222-3333 in the past 3 months, please complete the following: I found the automated system easy to use 129 found the system difficult to use 89 I have not had to use the automated system 200 6. Once reaching the appropriate department, I found the representative (check all that apply) Yes No Knowledgeable 203 41 Friendly 231 24 Helpful 213 34 Resolved my inquiry 184 63 7. Now that all analog channels are programmed, what types of services would you like to see added as we program the digital tiers? What s ervices would you like to see deleted? ADD DELETE Music services 71 Music services 83 Sports Channels 93 Sports Channels 54 Women's Channels 88 Women's Channels 25 Kid's Channels 44 Kid's Channels 43 Movie Channels 233 Movie Channels 3 News Channels 46 News Channels 30 Adult Movie Channels 49 Adult Movie Channels 122 Channels Related to Internet 29 Movies "on-demand" 73 8. What is your principal source of information for selecting programs to watch? Broadband Monthly 27 Sunday Newspaper TV supplement 292 TV Guide channel 156 Surf Channels 118 On-Screen Program Guide 117 9. Please respond to the following questions regarding public access programming Watch Watch Never Frequently Occas. Watch Public Acc. 15 47 207 275 Govern. Acc 16 88 189 253 Ed. Acc 18 21 133 360 Library Acc 19 12 117 378 Complaints 9 In prior reports, all correspondence received from Columbia Heights residents has been included in this. Correspondence which requests credit for outages, notes that are sent with bill that asks for downgrade or cancellation of service, etc. In addition, those complaints received from the city were also included. In 2003, we expanded our Escalated Complaint department from 1 employee to six with coveragel2 hours a day, 7 days a week. Complaints are tracked electronically. Customer correspondence that is not truly a complaint but rather a request is handled by the Support group and not tracked as "complaint". //~ Cnlnmhia Nainhfs 2003 __ ~ ~ ^ Jan. Feb. Mar. April May June July August Rates Billin 2 1 Program Reception Equipmen Service 1 Advertisin 1 Other ~ s ~~ r , 4 ; (~ ~ y O ` `r~ £ %` ~ ~~' ^ 1 , 24 '1 +1 ~ ~ TOTAL a ,. , , ~ , ,, Ll YTD Sept Oct. Nov Dec Results p _0 3 '0 0' 0 q 1 3., 1' 0 ~' 0_ 0 1 7 l~ Subscriber Contract ~3 SEQUENCE NO. IR TECH • ~ • ~ ~ NUMBER PRINT DATE SUBSCRIBER NUMBER RESIDENCE PHONE BUSINESS PHONE W.O. DESCRIPTION DATE , TIME UNITS ~ • • k " VIP SUB MAP GODE STATUS MGMT. SERV. SALES REP. MISC. SCHED. AREA AREA CATO REPRINT ENOD DWELLING TYPE TYPEHOOK•UP CALLER NAME LAST PAYMENT DATE HOUSE STA7US PDLE owNEA POLE NUMBER gRIDGER ADDRESS NOTES TO I R TECHNICIAN DROP LOCATION NUMBER OUTLETS •• ~ e• ©'®' ~• ~ ~ • ® ~ ~ • •~~• • CUAAEN7 AMOUNT OELINOVENT AMOUNT CYCLE DELO. CODE DAYS NEXT STATEMENT BALANCE DEPOSIT AMOUNT , PREVIOUS TROUBLE CALL lNFORMATI N OAT~~ TECH# PESOLIRIO CODES TROUBLE CALL REASONS DEPOSIT TO COLLECT DEPOSIT AMOUNT PAID TAG NO. PREPAYMENT TO COLLECT PREPAYMENT AMOUNT PAID TAG NO. • • • • • ~ • ~ TAG NO. yment Cash Check Creail Check U/ • , ~mpleletl J/Cancel NO(Cancel ReesoD: 'Levels l.ow art Time: Grountling: ^ ^ ^ Buried Orap: ^ Yes Orop Cloerenca: ^ ^ ^ SRO: l] Yes Slgnal Laskage: ^ ^ ^ Tane 8 Tag: ^ Yes Turnover' ^ Yes Aeversa Scan: ] Q ^ FilterlSPblsRag: ^ ] Home Wldng ]ycs JNp Inst. Packet'. ]yes J No Block Sync: ] ] ] .i Olgital Return: ] ^ ] On Tlme: ]Yos JNO lacknowledge mceipl ollha Subscriber Pnvacy Notice anda copy ollbe Pol¢les and Practices of my laalcable company andhacf oppoRUniry to readandask q uestions about IAem. I acCepllho mslailatlpn as safislacloryand the egmpmern as IurNbonal andin good ceder nam~ / ~ ~ C.os ! ~nnatnre _ - _ Date: Rafes and Charges 1~ 2003 Rates and Charges Basic 1 8.87 Basic 2 29.12 Standard Cable which }~ Includes 1 and 2 :.lll li. ~~S~~ti~'. Digital Plus 37.99 % w .+^M x ~ .z'retS~=E 3tt.'s ih YZ.i3m 14.99 Digital Extra 5.99 Digital Latino 6.99 Digital Premium Channels 13.99 Digital Silver 63.99 Di ital Gold 74.99 Digital Platinum Primary Receiver/Converter 89.99 4.70 Remote Control .30 Di ital Additional Outlet 4.95 HDTV Digital Receiver 5.00 Unreturned Receiver Price varies by equipment t e Unreturned Cable Card 250.00 Unretumed Remote 7.00 Other Fees Channel Guide Magazine 2.85 Pay-per-view Events and Movies Varies Late Fee 5.00 Returned Check Fee 20.00 Door Collection Fee 20.00 Installation and Service Unwired Install (125' feet) 41.99 Prewired Install 24.99 HDTV Installation 30.00 Additional outlet at initial install 13.49 Additional Outlet - se arate tri 19.99 Relocate Outlet 18.99 Up/Downgrade addressable services 1.99 Upgrade of optional services -separate trip 15.99 i/ 2003 Rates and Charges ~7 CHANNEL GUIDE COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN Effective July 2003 2 KTCA -PBS 35 The Weather Channel 67 Women's Entertainment 3 KPXM -PAX 36 A8E 70 MSNBC 4 WCCO -CBS 37 The Discovery Channel 76 iN DEMAND 1 5 KSTP -ABC 38 Hisiory Channel 77 Outdoor Life 6 Metro 6 Regional Access 39 The Learning Channel 96 Home Shopping Network 7 N Guide 40 AMC 98 EWTN B KMWB - WB 41 Turner Classic Movies 98 Inspiration 9 KMSP -FOX 42 Travel Channel 99 Univision 10 WFTC - UPN 43 Lifetime 11 KARE -NBC 44 Food Network 12 KSTC - IND 45 Home 8 Garden TV 13 Local Programming 46 USA 15 Public Access 47 TNT 16 Government Access 48 FX 17 KTCI -PBS 49 Sci-Fi 16 Educational Access 50 Comedy Central 19 Library Access 51 E! 21 BRAVO 52 TV Land 22 TBS Superstition 53 Disney 23 WGN 54 Nickelodeon 24 QVC 55 Cartoon Network 25 ESPN 56 Animal Planet 26 ESPN2 57 ABC Family 27 Fox Sports Net 58 C-SPAN 28 Golf Channel 59 C-SPAN 2 29 ESPN Classic 60 CcuN TV 3D Hallmark Channel 62 Spike N Legend 31 CNN 63 Great American Country Basic 32 CNN Headline News 64 VH-1 Basic 2 33 CNBC 65 MTV Pay-Per-View 34 Fox News fib BEr Universal Service Channel Line-Up suhject to change ®~~ Digital line-up on reverse side. ~~ 1-888-COMCAST www.comcast.com Comcast. CHMN73M0 0703 _ 600 Utilisima 601 Di E r scovery en spanol 111 Weatherscan Local 602 Fax Sports en Espano! 900 Showcase 120 Noggin 603 NE International 901 Today's Country 721 Discovery Kids 604 Cinelatino 902 Classic Country 722 Toon Disney 605 VH7 en Espanol 903 Americana 125 Newsworld International 606MNEspano/ 904 Bluegrass 126 Nick Toons 608 CNN en Espanol 905 R88 and Hip-Hop 728 Bloomberg 609 Toon Disney en Espanol 906 Classic R86 135 MN 2 _ 670 HNMusica 907 Smooth R8B 136 G4 f~ryry 908 Rap 137 TRIO W ' ' r 909 Metal 138 Wisdom 161 The Game Show Network t12 KARE-NBC (HDTV) 173 KTCA-PBS (HDN) 910 Rock 911 Power Rock 162 BBC America 764 ShopNBC 11q KMSP-FOX (HDN) 912 Classic flock 182 Ovation 715 KSTP-ABC (HDN) 557 HBO East (HDTV) 913 Alternative Rock 914 Electronics 183 Style 201 Discovery Hame 8 Leisure 576 Showtime East (HDTV) 915 Dance 916 Progressive/Adult 215 Nick GAS ~ Alternative 220 Discovery Health 222 The Health Network qq0 NBA Previews 917 Soft Rock 918 Hit ist ~ ~ B tl ing q41-451 NBA S orfs Packs gee N g 919 Part favorites 23 Ins ira ona Life 461-470 MLB/ HL Sport 240 International Channel 277 Discovery Times Packages 800 PPV Previews gp~ New Wave 922'lOs 272 Discovery Science 801-830 iN DEMAND 844 Hot Network 923 Solitl Gold Oldies 273 National Geographic 274 Discovery Wings 851 Spice g24 Singers 8 Stantlards g25 Bi B 275 Biograpny Channel 852 Spice 2 g and 8 Swing 926 Easy Listening 276 Histor International Y 853 Playboy 927 Smooth Jazz 294 TechTV R~ ~ I1'~ 928 Jazz 407 Fox Sports World :L 929 Blues 402 ESPNews 533 Starzt 930 Reggae 406 Outtloor Channel 535 Starz!Thi:ater 937 Soundscapes 408 Speed Channel 537 Black STAflZI 932 Classical Masterpieces 473 fox Digital Sports Atlantic 538 STAfl2! Cinema East 933 Opera 414 Fox Digital Sports Central 539 Starzt Family 934 Light Classical 415 Foz Digital Sports Pacilic 550 HBO 935 Show Tunes 471 VH-1 Country 552 HBO 2 East 936 Contemporary Christian 4l2 MN Hits 554 HBO Signature Easl g37 WRNB 973 VH-1 Classic 556 HBO Family East 950 Gospel 474 VH-1 Soul 558 HBO Latino Easl 951 for Kids Only 47fi FUSE 559 H60 Comedy Easl 952 Sounds of the Seasons 481 BET Jau 560 HBO Zane Easl 953 Musics Latina 482 MBC 562 Cinemax 954 Salsa Merengue 484 Great American Country 564 More MAX East 955 Rock'En Espanol . 486 The Ward Sfi6 Action MAX East 956 Latin Love Songs 503 IFC 567 Thriller MAX East 957 Mexicans 504 Lifetime Movie Network 575 Showtime 505 Sundance Easf 577 ShgToo East 506 Fox Movie Channel 579 Showtime Showcase East Le end 576 WAM! 581 Showtime Extreme East g 577 Encore 583 Showtime Nex! Digital Plus 579 Encore Love Stories East 584 Showtime Family Digital Extra 521 Encore Mystery Eas[ 585 Showtime Women Premium 523 Encore Westerns Eas[ 58fi Flix East PaY-Per-View 527 Encore True Stories East 590 TMC East Ca01e Latino 529 Encore Action East 592 TMC 2 East High Definition Television Line-Up suhject to change. CAST www.comcast.com COt11CC1St. Services Added or Deleted: ESPN Game Plan - 6 channels of PPV Options Oxygen DIY Fine Living HBO (HDTV) WCCO- CBS (HDTV) Starz (HDTV) Starz Kids Cinemax (HDTV) HBO East (HDTV) Showtime (HDTV) ESPN (HDTV} INHD 1 & 2 (HDTV) DARE -NBC (HDTV) KMSP -FOX (HDTV} ~D comcast® Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Director -Government Relations (651)493-5281 (651) 493-5288 (FAX) Apri121, 2004 comcast Cable Communications, Inc. 10 Fiver Park Plaza St Paul, MN 5 510 7-1 21 9 ~ ~'. Ryyugql~\f`~. ;. ~. ,.~ ~,.. ~. Ms. Linda Magee Assistant to the City Manager Colombia Heights Cable Commission 590 40th Avenue NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Re: Pricing Adjustments Dear Linda: This is to notify you that effective in June 2004, those customers who subscribe to Basic 1 only and have a converter will see a decrease in the cost of the rental of that equipment. The current rate is $2.00 and it will be reduced to $1.30 effective with the June billing. Customers who only have this equipment and this level of service will receive a bill message in May. Customers who subscribe to other services will contimte to be charged the $4.70 for that equipment. This notice will appear on billing statements of only those who are affected by the change to avoid confusion. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, <<~~ Kathi Donnelly-Core.. ®~~~~'~® Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Director- Government Relations (651) 493-5281 (651) 493-5266 -FAX April 20, 2004 Ms. Linda Magee City of Columbia Heights 590 40th Ave. NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 RE: Quarter 1 -Franchise Fee Payment Dear Linda: Comcast Cable Communications, Inc. 10 River Park Plaza St Paul, MN 55107-1219 Enclosed please find the 1St Quarter Franchise Fee check in the amount of $33,742.86. !f you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Kathi Donnelly-~onen p- ~ry } COMCAST FINANCIAL 4+~i "~~~ ` AGENCY CORPORATION A Comcast Cable Communications Group Company Midwest Division Office 29777 Telegraph Rd. Ste. 44008 Southfield, MI 48034 Harp ~ 4a-Al=la-na Vendor Name :COLUMBIA HEIGHTS CIT REMITTANCE ADVICE nlp, 229356545 Vendor No.: 154so4 INVOICE NO. INVOICE DATE DESCRIPTION DISCOUNT AMOUNT NET AMOUNT iSTQTR2004 08-APP-04 3-LS KD P80 0.00 33,742.86 TOTAL r~mcast. ". - ~rlw ' . COMCAST FiNANGIAL AOENCV CORPORATION - ~-- ACamcdsiCablebommnndationsGrcupCOmpany MldWesf Orvisioh ONice. ""- " ~-: _ BaOk One, NA ~ ~ - 29777 Telegraph ntl. Sle. 44008 Ooiimbus, QH SoUfMleltl„MI 4ap34 ~ - ~ - ray Thirty-Three Thousand Seven Hundred Fo rty-Two DollarsAnd 86 Cents T9 COLUMBIA HEIGHTS CITY OF MN Tt'~ 590 40TH AVE NE - Of~er COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN 55421-3878 +- ~ United States Auihorizetl signature 0.00 I 33,742.86 Nq, 229356545 ''.55 1594/497 ;644358333- Date 16-APR-04 Uoltl Afler'180 Da s~ ~- n•229356545ti' ~:044Li15443r: 644359333n' comcast® Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Director -Government Relations {651)493-5281 (651) 493-5288 -FAX April 20, 2004 Ms. Linda Magee City of Columbia Heights 590 40th Ave. NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 RE: Quarter 1 -Franchise Fee Payment Dear Linda: Comcasl Cable Communications, Inc. 10 River Park Plaza SI Paul, MN 55107 1219 Enclosed please find the 1St Quarter Franchise Fee check in the amount of $33,742.86. if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Kathi Donnelly-i;onen Ccomcast. 10 Rivar Park Plaza 5t. Paul, MN. 55107-1219 651-493-5823 FAX 651-493.5572 April 8, 2004 City of Columbia Heights Linda Magee, Asst. to the City Manager 590 40th Ave. NE Columbia Heights, MN. 55421 Enclosed is the quarterly Franchise Fee payment for the period of January to March 2004 Per the agreement, it is calculated based on 5% Gross Revenue. GROSS REVENUE SOURCE AMOUNT BASIC 116,597.18 EXPBASIC 311,662.38 DIGITAL 55, 338.93 PREMIUM 38,798.92 PPV 17,858.73 AUDIO 272.42 INSTALLATION 6,006.69 EQUIPMENT RENTAL 18,214.74 MAINTENANCE REVENUE 6,100.23 MISCELLANEOUS CABLE (138.87) SHOPPING COMMISSIONS 4,583.84 GUIDE REVENUE 1,574.72 FRANCHISE FEES 36,133.32 FCC FEES PEG FEES 24,987.38 LATE FEES 6,170.00 OTHER REVENUE - OTHER SUBSCRIBER REVENUE 580.00 REVENUE ADJUSTMENTS 197.27 REVENUE DISCOUNTS BAD DEBT (16,451.83) AD SALES 46,371.07 TOTAL GROSS REVENUE 674,857.12 Fran Fee Rate 0.0500 Franchise Fee Due 33,742.86 ~~ r:'c -. Approved by Date TRADE SECRET INFORMATION -NOT FOR PUBLIC DISOLOSURE COMCAST FINANCIAL REMITTANCE ADVICE -`{~~'~¢ AGENCY CORPORATION A Comcast Cable Communications Group Company Midwest Division Office 29777 Telegraph Rd. Ste. 44006 nlp, 229356545 Southfield, MI 48034 Date : 16-APR-04 Vendor Name :COLUMBIA HEIGHTS CIT Vendor No.: 154604 fNVOICE NO. INVOICE DATE DESCRIPTION DISCOUNT AMOUNT NET AMOUNT iSTQTR2004 OB-APR-04 3-LS KD P80 0.00 33,742.86 TOTAL C41T1CCyS't COMCAST fINANGIAL AGENCY CORPORATION - ~r_ ACbmcasl Cadle,CommUnicellops Group Company ' _ ~ !'; ~.- MidW@sl D,visionOlime' ~ - Bank Oqe, NA 28777 Teleggrapfi Rd. Sle. 44008 S li l Mi 4 OOUrobUS, OH%:. oNh e d,. 4803 PRY Thirty-Three Thousand Seven Hundred Forty-Two Dollars'And 86 Cents Tq COLUMBIA HEIGHTS CITY OF MN The 590 40TH AVE NE ~ ~ -- oed~r COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN 55421-3878 ~ United States - Authoriied signature - 0.00 I 33,742.86 NO. 229356545- . ~56 1594 (441 ~- 1644359033. Date 16-APR-04 11'22935654511' t:044~i5443r: 64435933311' ~o m ca st~ CHECK REQUEST INVOICE #: P80-585 PAYEE NAME: City of Columbia Heights DATE: 4/8/04 ADDRESS: 590 40th Ave. NE Columbia Heights, MN. 55421 ZIP CODE: 55421 REASON: Otrlv FF Fees P.O. #: AMOUNT: $ 33,742.86 DISTRIBUTION: PREPARED BY: Kay Long APPROVED BY: P80/22030/000/000 (ENTITY / ACCOUNT k /DEPT) RETURN CHECK TO THE SYSTEM Kathi Donnelly-Cohen 10 River Park Plaza St. Paul, MN. 551 07-1 21 9 SPECIAL MAILING INSTRUCTIONS: FedEx ~:,,~ . comcast® Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Director - Govemmen[ Relfllions (651)493-5281 (651) 493-5288 -FAX April 30, 2004 Ms. Linda Magee Assistant to the City Managet• Columbia Heights Cable Commission 590 40t1' Avenue NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Re: CableCare/Cable Guard Dear Linda: comcast Cable Communications, Inc. 10 River Park Plnza St Paul, MN 551 0 7-1219 This is to inform you that effective with the next billing statement, a limited number of customers will be notified that the price of their old CableCare service will no longer need grandfathered in at $1.95 and will increase to $2.95. Cable Care, now Cable Gtrard, was developed by Meredith Cable to protect the inside cable wiring. That plan was changed from a "per outlet" charge to "whole house" coverage in September of 2001. New subscribers could take the service at $2.95 after September 1, 2001. Many of the Digital packages include this service. Current subscribers were grandfathered in at the $1.95 rate (for whole house protection not per outlet). Effective with the following billing period, those customers will no longer be grandfathered and the service will be $2,95. This change affects only those in the old Meredith systems and only those who had been grandfathered to this point. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, ~~ Kathi Donnelly-Cot motto .~. i~ ~~ Spring 2004 In This Issue ... Broadband Power line Technology ............................... 5 Commission Urges Compromise .................. 7 Conference Calendar ................ 9 MACTABoard ........................1 0 Minnesota's Level Playing Field ............................ 3 NATOAUpdate ......................... 2 President's Report .................... 1 Sound Bytes ............................ 8 We Have a Winner(s)! .............. 7 MACTAOffice Suite 300N 1711 W. County Road B Roseville, MN 55113 Phone ................ 651-635-0306 Fax .................... 651.635-0307 E-mail ..... oei@assocmgmt.org Web site ..... www.mactamn.org ONNECTIONS PRESIDENT'S REPORT by Jeff Lueders, Cable Coordinator, CityofLakeville cause. Our goal this session is to pass the Chapter 238 "clean-up" bill (H.F. 1633 was introduced in 2003 and will be reintroduced with a Senate companion), which will modernize the cableTV chapter. This is no small accomplishment since we (Jodie Miller, Holly Hansen, Tim Finnerty, Michael Bradley, Bob Vose, Cheryl Pasalic, Ann Higgins, Tom Grundhoefer, and I) worked throughout 2003 with the MCCAto clean up the old language and create a chapter that should carry us into the future. A number of telecommunications bills have been introduced this session (2004), and I will try to keep you up to speed on those that would effect MACTA members on the "Members Only" page of the MACTAwebsite (www.mactamn.org). Senator Kelley still wants to overhaul the entire system and is meeting with various groups to gain their input into that idea. There is some merit to his thought process that "a byte is a byte" especially with VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) telephone technology right around the corner. My thought is that as long as we have a voice in the process we can hopefully be part of any new statewide telecommunications reorganization. President's Message -continued on page 9 ® Mark Your Calendar Now! • Legislative Luncheon -May 20, 2004 °o Holiday Inn West, St. Louis Park, MN O~ • Annual Conference -October 28-29, 2004 ® Holiday Inn West, St. Louis Park, MN NATOA UPDATE by Coralie Wilson, Executive Director North Suburban Cable Commission, President of NATOA What do you do when your presence is requested before a U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition, and Business and Consumer Rights? You drop everything else, make your flight arrangements, and go to Washington, D.C. In early 2003, the NATOA Board of Directors commissioned the Bailer Herbst Law Group to prepare a report that looked at the extent to which cable companies were engaging in anticompetitive behavior in an effort to stifle competition from overbuilders and to recommend possible responses by NATOA. The completed report identified numerous examples of anticompetitive activity, including predatory pricing and entering into exclusive contracts for programming -mostly regional sports networks-distributed via fiberoptic cable, rather than via satellite, the so-called "terrestrial loophole." Earlier this year, Libby Beaty, NATOA's executive director, and Jim Boller, leader of the team that wrote our report, met with staff members from the Antitrust Subcommittee, and NATOAwas invited to participate in a hearing scheduled for February 11, Itwas not until the Friday before the hearing that we learned the subcommittee prefers to hearfrom the president of the organization, not an attorney or consultant. So, off I went to our nation's capitol. In our testimony, NATOA recommended Congress close two loopholes that we believe the cable industry has been using to eliminate competition. The first recommendation would make it more difficult for cable companies to employ predatory pricing by closing a loophole in the uniform rate provisions of the Communications Act. The second would preclude cable companies from entering into exclusive contracts for programming delivered terrestrially over Tibor optic cable. The cable industry representatives asserted that, since some 20 million households subscribe to DBS services, no Congressional action is necessary. They also implied that most communities could not support a second wireline competitor. NATOA's response was that Congress' intent in the 1996 Telecommunications Act was to encourage effective competition, not just competition, and the test of effective competition is whether it leads to lower prices, better customer service, and more innovative offerings. Ifthe cable industry is correct, and effective competition is unlikely to develop in most communities, then we need to return to more regulation to protect consumers from monopoly/oligopoly abuses. In response to the information provided to the subcommittee, SenatorDeWineannouncedthatheandSenatorHerbertKohl (D-WI), the ranking minority member of the subcommittee, ' We felt very good about the subcommittee's response to the concernsweandsomeoftheotherpanelistsraised. Especially since this is a presidential election year, it is too soon to say how the proposed legislation will fare, but we'll keep you informed and let you know if you can help by calling orwriting your Congressional representatives. to other news... The VoIP issue is heating up in Washington, D.C. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on February 24, and NATOA, along with the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National Association of Counties, provided testimony encouraging Congress to take a cautious approach to deregulationofthisservice. NATOAalsosubmittedcomments and replies to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on VoIP, which we expected to be released in early March. In late January, Comcast released the company's 2004 Privacy Policy. The most notable change in the new policy is that consumers will no longer need a law degree and a magnifying glass in order to read and understand the document. The revisions were made in response to concerns raised by local franchising authorities and shared with Comcast via a special committee appointed by the NATOA Board last fall to work with the cable company. Although the committee felt it was an improvement over the 2003 notice, the policy is still far from perfect, and it still may not comply wifh local ordinances or Minnesota state law. Those will be two of the topics covered during NATOA's Litigation & Regulation SeminaronApril 22-23 in Washington, D.C. The first day will begin with an overview of the major legal, legislative, and regulatory initiatives and trends and will end with a review of the various ways right-of-way users might provide revenues to local governments. The second day will feature two separate round table discussions of the future of telecommunications and how changes in the technology may affect local governments. The firstpanelwillincludeafinancial analyst, a representative of a local exchange carrier, and a consumer representative. The second panel will have NATOA Update -continued on page 4 2 MACTA CONNECTIONS IS IT TIME TO CHANGE MINNESOTA'S LEVEL PLAYING FIELD LAW? by Adrian Herbst, Esq., The Boller Herbst Law Group, P. C. INTRODUCTION During the past several months, there has been a great amount of activity on the part of MACTA (in conjunction with the League of Minnesota Cities)' with regard to Minnesota's "level playing field" law for cable franchises. The current Minnesota law provides an applicable part, in Section 238.08(b) as follows: "No municipality shall grant an additional franchise for cable service for an area included in an existing franchise on terms and conditions more favorable or less burdensome then those in the existing franchise pertaining to: (1) the area served; (2) public, educational, or governmental access requirements; or(3)franchisefees. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply when the area in which the additional franchise is being sought is not actually being served by any existing cable communications company holding a franchise far the area. Nothing in this paragraph prevents a municipality from imposing additional terms and conditions on any additional franchises." The Minnesota Telecommunications Association has asked MACTA and the League of Minnesota Cities to support a change to this law, which MTA claims is necessary because the current law forces its members to meet the heavy competitive burden of constructing a cable system that matches the service area of an incumbent cable provider. Overthe past few years, the Twin Cities metropolitan area has seen franchising processes initiated byvarious new entrants, including Seren, Everest, WideOpenWest, and an open video service (OVS) provider, WH Link. The three overbuilders objected to an interpretation of the Minnesota level playing field law that required them to serve comparable franchise areas, in addition to other terms and conditions applicable to the incumbent cable providers. The OVS provider, WH Link, argued that the Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed it to offer cable services as part of their telephone services in areas not necessarily congruous with the boundaries of a franchise area. Franchises forthe three overbuilders were approved, but none accepted the specific franchise terms offered to them. There was considerable debate about (and consternation with) the level playing feld law, in particularthearea-served requirement. Economic and financial conditions also influenced the overbuilders' decisions to reject the proposed franchise agreements. The ultimate unfortunate result is that none of the overbuilders ended up providing competitive services. In the case of WH Link, franchising authorities insisted that under Minnesota law an OVS system was a cable system, and required WH Link to have a cable franchise. This interpretation was challenged by WH Link in the City of Otsego, Minnesota, and ultimately the MinnesotaAppellate Court ruled in favor of the City of Otsego, meaning WH Link was indeed obligated to obtain a franchise. z On the heels of the Otsego decision, the MTA is actively seeking relief from the level playing field law's area-served requirement, which it maintains is a barrierto competitive entry in the cable services realm. BACKGROUND OF FRANCHISING IN MINNESOTA Minnesota appears to be unique in terms of howfranchising of cable systems evolved. Unlike most states, explicit cooperation among multiple communities forcable franchising purposes is the norm in Minnesota. This practice originated shortly after a few communities had granted franchises for cable services (including Bloomington, Fridley, and St. Louis Park). Advisory Committees forthe Metropolitan Council and the League of Cities subsequently encouraged the Minnesota legislature to develop procedures and guidelines for franchising, leading to the development ofthe Minnesota State Cable Board, which developed rules applicable to most cable franchises. Among the mast significant of the rules is the requirement that prospective franchisors create a "cable service territory," and that they obtain a certification by the State Cable Board before a franchise process was initiated. The idea behind the "cable service territory" approach was to promote franchising cooperation among multiple municipalities, ostensibly ensuring that the "have" and "have not" communities work together for the common good. A number of benefits resulted, including the discouragement ofcherry-picking by cable operators, and beneficial economies-of-scale due to the larger market available to a particular cable operator (beyond a single community). The "cable service territory" approach led to the development of numerous joint powers agreements and the creation of cable commissions, some of which include as many as 12 communities working together. The commissions helped create the initial franchises and continued in place after franchises were granted to provide oversight and administration of the franchises. As a result, many became the entities responsible for the development of public, educational, and governmental access. THE MTAARGUMENT The MTA argues that the Minnesota level-playing-field law imposes a significant burden on new entrants because the area served by new competitors must, as a practical matter, Minnesota's Level Playing Field -continued on page 4 Spring 2004 3 Minnesota's Level Playing Field -continued from page 3 be the same as that of the incumbent. Incumbent cable industry representatives have strenuously objected to a franchise being awarded for an area less than they were required to serve. The cable industry's argument, in essence, is that any new entrant should not be permitted to "cherry-pick" and serve only portions of communities or limited numbers of communities that are part of a cable service territory. It is worth noting that the Minnesota level playing field statute was enacted in 1988, approximately eight years after most of the franchises were awarded to incumbent operators, and in fact, appears to be a law that the cable industry sought specifically to protect against competition. LEGISLATIVEAPPROACH MACTA and the Leagues of Cities have been working jointly to develop an agreeable legislative alternative. Acurrent proposal includes elimination of the "area-served" requirement, while keeping those parts of the law that concern franchise fee obligations and comparable public, educational, and governmental access commitments (but only a proportional basis). The proposal also would give a city or its franchising authority the discretion to consider an applicant's proposal. For example, one city orfranchising authority may determine that serving a portion of its communities would be acceptable, while another may not. There are risks, of course, in granting franchises for areas less than the entire potential service area, and these need to be evaluated and considered in light of the benefits to be gained by a competitive service and the resulting effect on the areas that are (or are not) served. In addition, substantial public monies have been spentto develop services to meet the needs of a city or all the member communities of a joint powers commission; if only a portion of those communities are served by an overbuilder, there is a risk that residents served by the additional overbuilderwill not have the same public, educational, and governmental access or local community programming as residents served by an incumbent franchise that provides service throughout the entire cable service territory. The most pressing in an attempt to make a legislative change in this area lies in the elimination of the "area served" requirement. The removal of this as the main focus in the franchising process will allow a city or its franchising authority the flexibility to evaluate proposals not on the basis of an artificial, overly burdensome, and rigid requirement to serve the same geographic area as the incumbent, but rather allows local authorities to consider the benefit to the community in a more general and productive sense. Franchising authorities must give due regard to the interests, concerns, and historical investment of incumbent cable operators, but must also be able to promote the development of competition without being hamstrung by the "area-served" requirement of the current Minnesota level playing field law. CONCLUSION An article in Business and Politics, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2001, entitled "The Fallacy of Regulatory Symmetry: An EconomicAnalysis of the Level Playing Field in Cable TV Franchising Statutes' by Thomas W. Hazlett and George S. Ford, included a case study regarding the economic benefits of level playing field statutes. (There are at least 11 states with such statutes.) The article concluded that the statutes do, in fact, tilt against new entrants, protecting the incumbent from competition. It also includes the following anecdote: In Dade County, Telestat got stopped dead in its tracks by a state law known as the 'level playing field' act. In theory, it was designed to ensure that the second cable franchise wouldn't get more favorable treatment than the incumbent. But in the ten states where such legislation has been enacted, many cable newcomers contend it has enabled incumbents to manipulate the franchising process. Often at the established company's urging, local governments hold public hearings and conduct extensive studies on the impact of so-called overbuilders. In the end, communities frequently end up imposing more burdensome financial obligations and construction schedules on second cable systems. Dade County provided no exception." The $84,000 question for MACTA members is -has the area- served requirement in the level playing Feld law prevented the development of competition in the cable industry, and if so, what is the best solution? ' Primarily, legislative change has been initiated by the Minnesota Telecommunications Association ("MTA'J. ~ WH Link, LLC v City of Otsego, 664 N.W.2d 390 (Minn. App. 2003). Adrian Herbst, The Boller Herbst Law Group, P.C., 953E Grain Exchange Building, 400 South Fourth Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415, 612-339-2018, aherbst@baller.com. f• NATOA Update -continued from page 2 representatives of the major national local government organizations, including the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and the Alliance for Community Media. And, finally, the brochures for this year's Government Programming Awards have been mailed, and the deadline for entries is April 16, 2004. You can't win if you don't enter. Minnesota usually does well in the GPAs, and I'm expecting big things again this year from our municipal programmers. 4 MACTA CONNECTIONS IS BROADBAND POWER LINE TECHNOLOGY READY FOR WIDESPREAD DEPLOYMENT? by Tom Asp, MBA, Consulting Manager, Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP, and Alan Kraus, CEO, Broadband Development 3 As the Internet becomes increasingly integrated into our daily activities, our ability to connect to this i mportant resource takes on a more urgent dimension. Increasingly, voice, video, and data streams are distributed over the Internet in ever-larger applications that touch every aspect of our daily lives. The convergence of voice, video, and data has driven the telecommunications industry to seek solutions that will result in an infrastructure that is ubiquitous in nature and capable of carrying increasingly large and complex Internet applications. The term used to describe this class of infrastructure solutions is broadband connectivity. Broadband connections can be deployed using many diverse technologies. Fiber Optics, Satellite, Wireless Radio, Coaxial Cable, and Telephone Twisted Pair are just same of the infrastructure choices currently being deployed to create broadband connections to the Internet. All of the above infrastructure choices require extensive capital investments in order to reach all homes and businesses in any geography. Telecommunication engineers are currently exploring the possibility that broadband connectivity to the Internet could be delivered through the existing Power Line infrastructure. The already deployed and ubiquitous nature of the Power Line infrastructure would make it an attractive technology for the distribution of broadband Internet services. Field trials of power line broadband technology are leading to competing claims from vendorcommunities and electric utilities as to the advisability of delivering broadband Internet services over the existing power line infrastructure. Afew electric utilities are now taking the step to more widely deploy Internet service overtheirpowergrid. Butthequestionremains-Is Broadband Power Line Technology Ready for Widespread Deployment? Today, over 19 electric utilities (investor-owned, cooperatives, and municipalities) are testing products from 13 different vendors including: Ascom,AmbientAmperion,CurrentTechnologies, DS2, Ebz, Main.net Communications, Mitsubishi Electric, Power War, Power Comm System Inc., Powerlinx, Statius, and Xeline. Some of the current test sites include Manassas, Virginia; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Birmingham, Alabama; Penn Yan, New York; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Boise, Idaho; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Most of the test sites are limited in nature with under 25 users receiving service. In many cases, the business models have not yet been determined.' These tests, however, when you look beyond vendor press releases, suggest that many questions still exist. To date, these trials have not demonstrated if the power grid can be used effectivelyfor commercial broadband deployments. This leaves us to consider, if the power grid can deliverAMR, why not high-speedlnternet access? We are then left to explore the differences between current applications of PLC and the proposed BPL technology. The power grid is designed and optimized to pass a 60 Hz sig nal through transformers. A characteristic of the 60 Hz signal is that it does not have constant impedance. These impedance changes increase the degradation of the high frequency signals over a given distance. This results in the requirement to deploy more active devices in the power grid resulting in the possibility of a less reliable and robust communications system. Electric utilities have effectively used their distribution and transmission system to support Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) Load Management, Capacitor Bank Control, and other automation efforts. The electric distribution and transmission systems have proven to be acost-effective and reliable means of communication for the applications noted above. For example, three of the four largest AMR vendors (Hunt, DCSI, and Cannon-Emetcon) use power line communication (PLC) technologies. Given the success of PLC technologies, the use of the power grid has captured the attention of many broadband vendors. The power grid offers the promise of being able to deliver high- speed data connectivity to every house and business with minimal capital investment using the new Broadband Power Line (BPL) technology. BPL technologies typically use a Radio Frequency (RF) carriers (over 450,000,000 Hz) with a signal required on each transformer. Although the purchase and installation cost of the bypasses are projected to below (by the vendors), ongoing maintenance costs may not be. For example, any active device (that requires a power source and has electronic components) is susceptible to power surges and lightning strikes that may cause device failure. BPL technologies use a higher frequency RF signal with repeaters required every 1,500 to 2,500 feet. Broadband Power Line Technology- continued on page 6 Spring 2004 o PLC technologies use various techniques, such as low frequency carriers (under 3,000 Hz), that allow a signal to pass through a distribution transformer and reduce the effectof degradation caused by impedance variations in the system. 5 Broadband Power Line Technology -continued from page 5 Power lines are not shielded and can act like large antennas capable of inadverientlysending and receiving signals. Othertechnologiesuse coaxial cable and antenna feed lines that are shielded to minimize this type of interference. o PLC technologies use a low frequency carrier that tendsto have minimal radiated electromagnetic noise and support a low signal rate, similar to a dialup modem, that is relatively unaffected by electrical noise on the power line. BPL technologies use a high frequency RF carrier that tends to radiate electromagneticnoise. To reduce the effect of the radiated electromagnetic noise, power levels can be reduced. However, this reduced power level decreases the distance a signal can travel before it must bo regenerated or amplified. This requirement far periodic repeaters increases the number of active devices on the electric grid. • BPL technologies have had limited success in Europe and Asia. o Many of the European companies that tried to offer commercial BPL have now abandoned the technology.3 - In Europe, the power grid is more conducive to BPL. Household and businesswiring are certifed for proper grounding and a distribution transformer, on average, serves 250 customers compared to the United States where 20 customers or less is typical. o Japan has effectively banned BPL. • fn North America, BPL technologies are still in the pilot stage (under 100 homes). Small pilots are not sufficient to properly gauge and monitorthe effects of a widespread deployment. Some of the issues that need to be evaluated include: o The effects of electromagnetic emissions including interference to other radio systems and the power grid distribution and transmission protective relaying functions. o Network performance with a large end usor population resulting in collisions and throughput reductions as more users and subscribers obtain service. o The effect ofpowersurgesandlightningontheroliability and performance of BPL components. o The sustainability of the third wave of BPL vendors trying to enter the marketplace. The first and second wave vendors have disappeared or have abandoned their plans. Some of the third wave vendors may survive, but most probably will not. Each of the vendor offerings are proprietary; if the vendor goes, so does your investment. Those seeking to adopt power line technology forthe delivery ofwidespread broadband Internetservicesshoutd proceed with caution. Evidence to date suggests that the more prudent course will be a regime of continued testing and evaluations. There remains a question concerning the underlying technology. • Is BPL technology as currently proposed sufficient to effectively resolve issues ofsignal degradation and radiated electromagnetic noise? • Has BPL hardware and software been dosigned to operate reliably in an environment where events such as power surges and lightening strikes are common? Evidence to date from Europe and Asia indicate reasons for concern. Current pilot projects in the United States are not as of yet a sufficient size to insure that BPL technologies are suitable for widespread deployment. We may find over the succeeding months and years that those questions may be answered favorably. The deployment of a broadband Internet solution through a ubiquitous and existing power grid infrastructure would certainly be of enormous national benefit. But competing claims byvendors and reasonabletechnoiogical concerns suggest the best course for electric utilities will be ongoing through assessments and a conservative approach to deployment, 'Source: Power Systems Engineering Inc. Rick A Schmidt. ~ Main.net Communication uses a series of carrier frequencies that allows the signal to pass through the transformer. It does still, however, require an active device to be placed at each distribution transformer, ' Source: Arnateur radio Relay League. Tom Asp, MBA, Consulting Manager, Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP, tasp@virchowkrause.com, and Alan Kraus, CEO, Broadband Developmont 3, akraus@bbd3.com, t• Committee Members Needed!! Are you interested in helping to plan the October annual conference? Join the Conference Committee and/or the Awards Subcommittee! Contact Sally Koenecke MACTA Conference Committee Chair 952.471.7125 sallyC~lmcc-tv org 6 MACTA CONNECTIONS COMMISSION URGES CABLE COMPANY & VICTORY SPORTS TO COMPROMISE TO CARRY GOPHER & TWINS GAMES by Tom Garrison, Director of Communications, City of Eagan Thejoint Burnsville Eagan Telecommunications Commission became the first cable commission in the state to formally call on both its cable provider and a regional sports network to compromise to get a deal done to carry Minnesota Twins games and Gopher sports in the Twin Cities market. Saying continued delays are harming the public, the Commission called on both Comcast and Victory Sports One to reach an agreement in the public interest to carry the sports games. For more than an hour, the Commission quizzed representatives from both companies to find out why an agreement has not been reached in nearly a year, and why published reports suggest the prospect for an agreement before the Twins season begins is not good. Comcast, the cable provider in the Eagan/8urnsville area, says the Victory Sports offeron the table "simply is not acceptable," according to Davo Nyberg, local corporate affairs manager for Comcast. Subscribers, Nyberg believes, would be asked to pay 50-60¢ more per customerthanthey paid lastyearwhen Fox Sports Net had the rights to the games. Collectively, "Victory is asking both sports fans and non-sports fans to pay millions of dollars more for the same programming that was seen on Fox," says Nyberg, Victory Sports, which is owned by the parent company of the Minnesota Twins, says sports teams change networks "all the time" yet they are willing to negotiate with Comcast. However, there have been no serious negotiations or a counteroffer from Comcast in 11 months. Kevin Catoor, President of Victory Sports, says Comcast does not have fo pass on increased costs to cable subscribers. He claims on an average $45 cable bill, large cable providers clear between $18-22 per month, per subscriber in profit. "There is a lot of money going someplace else," Cattoor told the Commission. Emphasizing it is not taking sides, the Telecommunications Commission nevertheless formally warned Comcast that the failure to provide major local professional and sporting events programming may result in the franchisee's "failure to meet the needs and interests of the City's cable subscribers." The Commission may also explore other ways to get such programming on the air. The two-page resolution passed unanimously and is being forwarded to the city councils of both Eagan and Burnsville fortheir concurrence. "We don't have fhe authority to negotiate these contracts," noted Commission Chairman Paul Ryan, "butwhat we can do is encourage both parties to get together and either work out a solution or show that some negotiations are ongoing for the betterment of our subscribers." "We are the first cities to actively advocate on behalf of ifs citizen subscribers for the uninterrupted carrying of local sports programming," said Commission attorney Michael Bradley. "We expect many more communities tojoin in these efforts," he added. In a second action, the Commission also voted to explore the possibilities of challenging the FCC's local blackout rule in the event there is no local agreement to carry the games on either satellite or cable, ff the rule were reversed, this could allow carrying up to 122 Twins games. •: WE HAVE A WINNER(S)! by Heidi Arnson, Communications Committee Chair, and Executive Director, North Metro Telecommunications Commission MACTA's first video promo contest is over. Members were asked to submit 30 second spots intended to tell cable viewers why PEG channels are valuable and should be viewed and preserved. Eleven promos were entered, viewed, andjudged, A variety of formats and approaches were used to relay the requested message. It wasn't easy narrowing the field down to one. In the end, the judges felt that two of the promos best represented the goal of the contest, and they were selected as the winners. Drum roll please.....the City of St. Paul's submission titled "Only on Cable" and SWCC's submission titled "Where is PEG" were selected as the winning entries. Plans are already in the works for expanding and improving the competition. For example, going forward we will look at dividing the contest into various categories. All eleven of the originally submitted promos are available to MACTA members. You can request either a DVD or VHS copy. Please contactJodie Miller, Executive Director of Town Square Television, JMILLER@TOWNSOUARE.TV, to order your copy. Everyone is urged to use them on yourcommunity channels. After all, every ono of the promos does a greatjob of promoting the value of PEG. ~. Spring 2004 7 SOUND BYTES compiled by Heidi Arnson, Communications Committee Chair, and Executive Director, North Metro Telecommunications Commission RAMSEYIWASHINGTONRND NORTH SUBURBAN CONDUCT JOINT BIDDING PROCESS FOR ROSS SWITCHERS Submitted by Judy Skeie-Voss The Ramsey/Washington Counties Suburban Cable Commission and CTV North Suburbs, the local programming arm of the North Suburban Communications Commission, recently conducted a jointly coordinated bidding process for the purchase of Ross Synergy 100 production switchers. Thejoint cooperative bidding effortwas intended to "maximize the collective purchasing power of both organizations relative to quantity-discount pricing," according to Tim Finnerty, executive director for the Ramsey/Washington Cable Commission. "Our respective technical and production staffs are in regular contact with each other, so when Pat Cook, Manager of Engineering at CTV, heard we were intending to purchase new production switchers, he suggested we coordinate bidding and purchasing together since CTV was also in need of new switchers," Finnerty said. Identical sets of bid documents were prepared. Then each organization separately advertised for submission of sealed bids, utilizing the same submission deadline. Sealed bids submitted to Ramsey/Washingtonond CTV were opened in a joint, public proceeding on January 27. The results? CTV has ordered three Ross Synergy 100s and Ramsey/Washington has ordered two, with a possible third order pending. "I'm pleased with thejoint effort and the pricing we obtained," Finnerty said, noting that he has drafted a "joint powers agreement" that could be used in the future to enable participating organizations to more easily coordinate such joint bidding and purchasing efforts. "The various cableoperations seem to be interested in similar types of equipment more than ever before, so it makes sense to me to develop a mechanism that will provide the alternative of pricing based upon our collective purchasing power." LAKE MINNETONKA CABLE COMMISSION Submitted by Sally Koenecke The Lake Minnetonka Communications Commission added a fifth channel to its operations in January. The LMCC has an Access Development Committee that has given direction to the channel, and staff have been working diligently to create a channel that will attract viewers. The community programming, r which was aired on Channel 21, has been \ transferred to Channel 12 and includes numerous series and sports programs produced through the LMCC studio. Channel2l has now become the newly formatted (with our recently r~ purchased IC300) Lake Access Community Guide Channel. This channel guides viewers to many areas including city and chamber of commerce events, senior centers' happenings, library events, church announcements, Hennepin Parks, and other nonprofit news in the Lake Minnetonka 16 member city area. We hope these channels will encourage area residents to access their community and learn more about what is available far their partaking. NEWS FROM NORTHWEST COMMUNITYTV CHANNEL 12 Submitted by LeAnne Christensen Amidst budget cuts that forced the elimination of one position, our programming is still intact, ourvolunteer base is growing, and we are continuing to reach out into the community. Channel 12 continues to produce six 22-minute newscasts each week entitled 12 News. We also produce two magazine programs: SportsJam, which features local high school athletes, and Community Journal, which highlights local businesses, people, and government. We also produce a weekly 8-minute Northwest Cities, which highlights the inner workings of area cities, and full coverage of at least three local sporting or community events each week. Our community access department has been offering two series of introductory workshops each month, bringing many new volunteers to ourorganization, There has beenatrendtoward portable productions, which contrasts our past history ofdoing many in-studio productions. We are very active with community events throughout the year and participate in more than 251ocal celebrations, fairs, festivals, and cityacfivifies. Spring andsuminerarethebusiesttimes. We support the events through on-air promotions for sponsorship recognition at the event. We have a presence at the events by providing emcees, doing prize drawings, and doing live cut-ins from the event. It's a fantastic relationship because we help the groups promote the event, and we have the opportunity to maintain a presence in the communities we serve. For more information about Northwest Community TV, visitwww.nwct.org. For more information about Channel l2, visit www,twelve.ty. 8 MACTACONNECTIONS CITY OF ST. PAUL Submitted by Holly Hansen The Cily of St. Paul will be constructing a new video production studio in City Hall due to a settlement agreementwith Comcast over cable modem franchise fees. As part of the settlement, Comcast is providing a grant of $500,000 to build out and equip the studio; they also will be able to use the studio up to 15 hours per week. It is anticipated that the studio will be completed in the fall of 2004. Saint Paul Neighborhood Network will be moving to a new facility in downtown St. Paul, which was another issue resolved by the settlement agreement between the City and Comcast. It is anticipated that the lease on the new facility will be signed shortly, and plans for the build out and move will then begin. The agreement requires that the move be completed by February 15, 2005, although it could occur sooner. CTV Submitted by Joan Gerten Lastyear, the CTV staffworked to refine our mission statement. It became clear to us that we needed to make how we schedule programs on our channels a part of ourformal marketing plan. We created a marketing committee that decided to improve the look of our channels; we needed to develop a more clearly defined identity. We set out to achieve more consistent scheduling, create additional promos for individual programs and events, and cross promote our channels. Programming is now part of our newly created marketing department, which Joan Gerten supervises. When we lost our programmer last month, we decided to combine the programmer and MCO positions and split the duties between two people. The job description forone of the positions includes enough time to create promos and graphics. In addition to programming 14, 15, 21, and 98, we tape meetings for nine of our 10 cities and program the municipal channel for four of them. We also encode meetings for six of our cities and one of ourschool districts. Staci Skoog-Bownick added programming to her Master Control duties, and we will welcome John Salwai on March 1. •: President's Message -continued from page 1 As 2004 continues, please give some thought to volunteering to be part of one or more of MACTA's committees. The more members we have participating, the less work we each have to do to make this organization successful. Please renew your membership. Membership notices should have arrived in December/January at your facilities. It is my hope, and the hope of the Board, that economic and legislative pressures will subside and the MACTAdues structure can be revisited in the future. 2004 CONFERENCE CALENDAR Apr 22-23 NATOA Legal Seminar Marriott's Georgetown University Conf. Ctr. Washington, DC May 2-5 National Cable Telecommunications Association (NCTA) New Orleans, LA May 20 MACTA Legislative Luncheon Holiday Inn West St. Louis Park, MN July 8-10 Alliance for Community Media Tampa, FL Sept 15-18 NATOAAnnual Conference The Westin St. Francis Hotel San Francisco, CA Oct 9-12 League of Minnesota Cities Duluth, MN Oct 28-29 MACTAAnnual Conference Holiday Inn West St. Louis Park, MN NATOA-National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors MACTA- MN Association of Community Telecommunications Administrators Thanks again for all you do in your communities. As always, please feel free to contact any of the MACTA Board members with questions, concerns, ideas orcomments. You can contact me directly by email jlueders@ci.lakeville.mn.us; or by telephone at 952-985-4416(office)or 612-718-5544 (cell). The power is in communicating. It is truly an honor to serve you, the members of MACTA. Thanks for your time and continued efforts. I look forward to a successful 2004. f Spring 2004 9 macta~ Minnesota Association of Community Telecommu n ications Administrators 1711 W. County Road B, Suite 300N Roseville, MN 55113 r:. spring 2004 PRESIDENT & LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE Jeff Lueders City of Lakeville 20195 Holyoke Avenue Lakeville, MN 55044 Phone: 952-985-4416 Fax: 952-985-4499 E-mail: jlueders@ ci.lakeville.mn.us VICE PRESIDENT Patrick Toth CTV/North Suburban Communications Commission 950 Woodhill Dr Roseville, MN 55113 Phone: 651.792-7527 Fax: 651-482.1262 E-mail: ptoth@ctv15.org SECRETARY-TREASURER Diann Kirby City of Bloomington 1800 West Old Shakopee Road Bloomington, MN 55431 Phone: 952.563.8818 Fax: 952-563.8715 E-mail: dkirby@ ci. bl oom i ngton. mn. u s COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Heidi Arnson, Chair North Metro Telecommunications Commission 1630101stAvenue NE Blaine, MN 55449.4419 Phone: 763-780.8241 x24 Fax: 763.780-8242 E-mail: h-arnson@mtn.org CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Sally Koenecke Lake Minnetonka Communications Commission PO Box 385 / 4071 Sunset Drive Spring Park, MN 55384-0385 Phone: 952-471-7125 Fax: 952-471.9151 E-mail; sally@Imcc-tv.org MEMEERSHIP COMMITTEE Jerry Abraham, Co-Chair LFTV-6 1001 SE Fifth Avenue Little Falls, MN 55345 Phone: 320-632-2017 Fax: 320.632-5596 E-mail: Jabraham@ mset.k12.mn.us Rudy Vigil, Jr., Co-Chair WRAC 8/TV 18/WPS 19 417 Litchfield Avenue Willmar, MN 56201 Phone: 320.231-0594 Fax: 320-231-0594 E-mail: wrac8@hotmail.com MACTA OFFICE MANAGEMENT Office Enterprises, Inc. 1711 W. County Road B, Suite 300N Roseville, MN 55113 John Arlandson Michelle Sok Phone: 651-635-0306 Fax: 651-635-0307 E-mail: oei@assocmgmt.org The MACTA Connections Is published quarterly for the members of MACTA by the Minnesota Association of ' Community Telecommunications Administrators and Office Enterprises, Inc., 1711 West County Road B, Suite 300N, ' Roseville, MN 55113. Phone 851.635.0306, Fax 651-635- 0307, email oei@assocmgmt.org. Unless stated, comments in this publication do not necessarily reflect the endorsement or opinion of MACTA or Office Enterprises, Inc. The publisher is not responsible for statements made by the authors, contributors, or advertisers. The publisher reserves the right to final ' approval of editorial and advertising copy in this publication. ~e`amcast. COLUMBIA HEIGHTS COMMUNITY TELEVISION FEBRUARY 2004 PROGRAMS • Heights Calendar -1:00:00 • Mayor's Report (2/10) - 0:24:30 • Mayor's Report (2/24) - 0:25:40 • A Salute to AC Naegele - 0:31:30 • Empty Bowls - 0:30:00 • Lord Jesus Christ Cablecast - 0:58:30 • Legislative Update - 0:15:00 • Blaine Dance Invitational (Jazz/Funk) - 3:04:55 • Blaine Dance Tiivitational (High Kick) - 2:25:00 • Fight Night in Fridley - 3:05:00 • Tub Time News (Truth and Lies of 9/11) - 0:29:40 • Monuments to Life - 0:54:45 • Rice Creek Watershed District Meeting - 4:10:30 • Alexandra House 2003 - 0:42:20 • Critical Thinking (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Election Judges in Minnesota - 0:15:00 • So You Want To Be An Election Judge - 0:15:00 • Friendship Set To Music (2 shows) @ 1:00:00 • Face to Face (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Capra's Outdoor Frontiers (4 shows} @ 0:30:00 • Hour of Restoration (4 shows) @ 1:00:00 • Reality Cluistianity (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Music da camera (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Environmental Journal (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Vet's Visit on TV (2 shows) @ 0:29:30 • Love Power (4 shows) @ I :00:00 • Light On The Gospel - 1:00:00 • The LaRouche Connection (4 shows) @ 0:58:30 • Army Newswatch (Z shows} @ 0:28:30 • The Prophetic Word (4 shows) @ 0:28:30 • That Which Is (4 shows) @ 0:59:00 • On Main Street (4 shows) @ 0:28:15 • Cluistopher Close Up (4 shows) @ 0:28:00 • Somali TV of Minnesota (4 shows) @ 1:00:00 Programs Produced (iuterual) 7 Programs Produced (external) 73 CHANNEL PROGRAMMING Cablecast Programs 128 Cablecast Hours 230 FACILITY USE • Studio Hours 44 • Editing Hours 68 • Mac G - 4 Usage Hours 12 • Portable Equipment Checkouts 3 COLUMBIA HEIGHTS DETAILED OUTAGE REPORT Feb-04 Average Time # Subs Date City Cause Minutes Amps Affected 10-Feb Columbia Heights System Maintenance 221 5 60 Qtr 1 TSL / 2004 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% January February March COLUMBIA HEIGHTS COMMUNITY TELEVISION MARCH 2004 PROGRAMS • Heights Calendar - 0:57:30 • Mayor's Report (3/9) - 0:29:30 • Mayor's Report (3/23) - 0:29;20 • NEI Building Tour - 0:12:40 • Witamy Heights - 0:28:00 • Witamy Heights Festival -1:38:05 • Lord Jesns Christ Cablecast (2 shows) @ 0:58:30 • Legislative Update - 0:14:43 • The Making of Empty Bowls - 0:21:30 • Rice Creek Watershed District Meeting-1:00:00 • Rice Creek Watershed District Meeting - 1:07:13 • Critical Thinking (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Friendship Set To Music (2 shows) @ 1:00:00 • Face to Face (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Capra's Outdoor Frontiers (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • I'IOIll' of Restoration (4 shows) @ 1:00:00 • Reality Christianity (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Music da camera (4 shows) @ 030;00 • Enviromnental Journal (4 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Vet's Visit on TV (2 shows) @ 0:29:30 • Love Power (4 shows) @ 1:00:00 • Light On The Gospel - 1:00:00 • The LaRouche Comiection (4 shows) @ 0:58:30 • Army Newswatch (2 shows) @ 0:28:30 • The Prophetic Word (4 shows) @ 0:28:30 • That Which Is (4 shows) @ 0:59:00 • On Maiu Street (4 shows) @ 0:28:15 • Christopher Close Up (4 shows) @ 0:28:00 • Somali TV of Minnesota (4 shows) @ 1:00:00 Programs Produced (internal) 10 Programs Produced (external) 65 CHANNEL PROGRAMMING • Cablecast Programs 130 • Cablecast Hours 275 FACILITY USE • Studio Hours 46 • Editing Hours 72 • Mac G - 4 Usage Hours 20 • Portable Equipment Checkouts 4 Date COLUMBIA HEIGHTS DETAILED OUTAGE REPORT Time Cause Minutes Mar-04 Average Subs Affected