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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 15, 2003CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 590 401h Avenue N.E., Columbia Heights, MN 55421-3R78 (763) 706-3600 TDD (763) 706-3692 Vis~i( Our Wi'bsite nr: wWUtci. rnlurubin-Ireiglrrs.nur. u.e MEETING OF TI-IE TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 7:00 PM, THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2003 CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM Please contact Jean at 706-3613 if you are unable to atte))d. AGENDA: 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of March 20, 2003 4. Old Business a. Channel Check b. Correspondence Log and Company Follow Up on Complaints c. Other Old Business New Business a. Annual Report b. Notice Regarding Upgrade of the Digital Music Programming c. Probnam Changes to Spanish Tier d. Notice Regarding Change of e-mail addresses for Internet Customers e. FCC Fee Increase f Franchise Fees for 1st Quarter 2003 received g. Election of Officers h. Annual Holiday Dinner i. Other New Business Reports a. Report of Commissioners Assigned to Access Channels: Educational Access--De)mis Stroik; Libra)y Access-Bab Buboltz; Government Access--Ken Henke; Public Access-- Reuben Ruen b. Report of AT & T Broadband- March, Apri12003 Reports --Programs Produced --Installation and Service Activity Report --Current Channel Line Up and Service Charges c. Other Reports Adjournment Attachments The City of Colombia Hcigh[s does no[ discriminate on [hc bads of disability In the admission m• aweas [o, m' hroatmen[ m• employment in, its services, programs, m' activities. Upon regnest, accommodation will be provided to allmv individnflls with disabilities to participate In all City of Colombia Heights' em•vices, programs, mrd activities. Anxilimy aids fm' hmnlicapped persmis are available neon regnest when the regnest is made a[ least 96 hours in advance. Please call the Depnty City Clm~k at 706-3611, to make m~rangements. (TDD 706-3692 for dear or hearing impaired only) THE CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY M EMPLOYMENT OR TIIE PROVISION OF SERVICES EQUAL OPPURTUNiTV EMPLOYER THE MINUTES OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FROM THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2003 The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Dennis Stroik, Chairperson. ROLL CALL: Commission Members: Council Representative: City Representative: Comcast Rep: APPROVAL OF MINUTES Dennis Stroik, Dave Mahoney, Ken Henke, Bob Buboltz, and Brad Peterson Bruce Nawrocki-Excused Absence Jean Kuehn Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Motion by Dennis Stroik, second by Brad Peterson, to approve the minutes from the meeting of October 17, 2002. AZZ ayes. OLD BUSINESS A. Channel Check Everything was ok. B. Conespondence Log and Complaint Follow Up. John Hunter, 1009 42 %x Ave-When his cable was installed, the line was connected to his antenna in the attic and not directly to his television so the picture quality was not the best. A service technician corrected the connection and the problem was resolved. Liz Fife-4510 Madison St-After receiving a call from Telemarketer regarding her cable service, she decided to take advantage of a promotional offer for a special digital package for 3 months free and was told her picture quality would be improved. When she received the bill it was for more than was quoted and felt she had been deceived. The company contacted her again, restored her service to what she originally had and credited her for the amount she had been billed. Adele Sperl-5243 5`" St-She received a billing stating the company had not received her Aug payment. She then sent a notarized copy of the canceled check and was assured it would be credited. When she received her next billing, it still had not been corrected and late fees had been added. Her account was credited the correct amount. Jim Cleasby-4346 7`" St-Complained his rates had been increased with no notice to him and that he received a credit for $4.50 fora "utility error" with no explanation either. Kathi Donnelly- Cohen sent him a letter explaining the credit of $4.50 was for franchise fees that had been paid for cable modem service that no longer was being charged to subscribers. She went on to explain that rates did increase and that notices were sent to subscribers. She enclosed another notice to him and explained that the notices were sent through the mail, and she has no way of verifying whether he actually received it or not. TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 20, 2003 PAGE2 C. Notice from October for Change in Analog A notice was received regarding changes to the Analog Service. Previously, premium channels were switched over to just the digital service and now pay per view channels are also being converted over to just digital service subscribers. Affected subscribers were also notified. D. Update from School District #13 An e-mail was received from Ruth Dunn at School District #13. The purpose of the message was to inform the City and Commission members about the TV production that is taking place at the high school. She also stated that a new SCALA system was in place and that programming on the Educational Access Channel has been greatly improved. E. Notice from December regarding Name Change for Cable Company Since the merger of AT & T and Comcast is now complete, the name of the new company is Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. Cable service will now be provided by this company and will operate under the name "Comcast". F. Notice from December regarding High Speed Intemet Access A notice was received regarding high-speed Intemet access connections. All new cable modem customers after December 10, 2002 are being connected to the World Wide Web via the Comcast.net platform. Customers prior to that date will continue to be served by AT & T Broadband Internet. The prices for these connections were detailed in the notice. Eventually all customers will be switched over to the Comcast.net platform. The commission will be updated as changes are implemented. G. Notice from December regarding Pricing Changes for some Services Rates were increased effective January 2003 for certain Broadband services. Customers were notified via postcard of the changes. There were no changes to the price of basic cable, equipment, installation charges, Internet service or phone service at this time. H. Notice regarding Change of Pricing for Internet Services A notice was received regarding price increases for current Internet customers who do not purchase any AT & T Broadband Cable Services effective in February. It should be noted that more than 90 percent of Internet customers also choose to receive cable service, so this increase will not affect them. I. Franchise Fees for 3`~ and 4~~' Quarter 2002 received. Enclosed in the agenda packets were copies of the checks received for the third and fourth quarter franchise fees collected. TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 2Q 2003 PAGE 3 J. Other Old Business None NEW BUSINESS A. Handling of Customer Complaints Kathi Donnelly-Cohen explained the team that has been established to respond to complaints such as those that come from cities, PUC, FCC or other organizations on a subscriber's behalf. With the team approach, complaints can be resolved quickly, as there is always someone available to resolve the problem. B. Other New Business * Ken Henke had received a letter from Comcast and questioned what "Comcast presence in your neighborhood" meant. Kathi explained that the company will take an active role in local community events and will sponsor special programs throughout their service area. * The question was asked whether Police still could override and broadcast an emergency alert message. Kathi explained that, yes, they can in certain circumstances. However, certain messages must be authorized by higher authorities, such as the BCA. She went on to explain that Comcast tests the emergency system once a week, the FCC tests it once a month, and Broadcast Channels have to test the system at various times tluoughout the year. * Dennis requested we have election of officers at the next meeting. And he would like to discuss the annual dinner held for the commission members and get opinions on whether to continue having it. REPORTS A. Report of Commissioners Education-Dennis has been in contact with Ruth Dunn and the school district continues to produce programs and put appropriate messages on the access channel. Library-Nothing to report Public-Nothing to report Government-Nothing to report TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MINTES MARCH 20, 2003 PAGE 4 B. Report of Comcast- The reports for October, November, December 2002 and January and February 2003, were included in the agenda packets. Kathi Donnelly-Cohen brought some of the surveys that were recently mailed out to subscribers for inclusion in the Annual Report. She stated that approximately 350 (or 10%) of the surveys were returned. She again went on record that this is not a productive effort and shows nothing of value. She reviewed some of them for the commission members and noted the inaccuracies. Subscribers didn't know what service they had, or how much they were paying a month. The Commission members agreed that no useful information was obtained for either the cable company or for the city. Kathi also passed out copies of newspaper coverage concerning an investigation of cable piracy taking place in California and an article regarding the refund of franchise fees for Time Warner cable-modem customers in California. C. Report of the Cable Attorney Legal Counsel was not present, as the issues being discussed did not require legal opinion or clarification. D. Report of the Special Projects Coordinator Jean passed out a memo from Tracy Schaefer, Assistant to the City Administrator in Shakopee. She explained the Fiber INET Partnership with Shakopee School District and Scott County. Time Warner was unable to meet their needs so they formed a joint powers agreement and created their own for a cost savings to all involved. This information was provided as a follow up to Mr. Nawrocki's comment concerning this project at the last meeting. Motion by Ken Henke, second by Dave Mahoney, to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 pm. All ayes. Respectfully submitted, Shelley Hanson Secretary COIY1CgSt® Kathl DonneilyCohen Director -Government Relations (651) 493-5261 (651) 493.5288 -FAX March 31, 2003 Linda Magee Assistant to the City Manager Columbia Heights Cable Commission 590 40th Avenue NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Re: Programming Change -Canales Dear Ms. Magee: Comcast Cable Communications, Inc. 10 Rlver Park Plaza St Paul, MN 55107 1219 P~~ ~'~~~ , Effective May 1, 2003, the current Spanish tier available as an optional package will be changed. First, the tier now known as "Canales" will be renamed "Cable Latino". Three new channels will be added and two channels will no longer be available. The price of this service will not change from its current rate of $6.99 if purchased in addition to a Digital Package or $10.00 as an ala carte service. I have attached the letters that were sent to those customers who subscribe to this optional tier. Letters went sent in both English and Spanish. Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions or concerns. Sincerely, Kathi Donnelly-Cohen COIY1CgSt® Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Director -Government Relations (651)493.5281 Phone (657)493-5288 Facsimile March 18, 2003 Linda Magee Assistant to the City Manager Columbia Heights Cable Commission 590 40th Avenue NE Goll7mbia Heights, MN Columbia Heights Cable Commission Dear Ms. Magee: Comcast Cable Communications, Inc. 10 River Park Plaza Sl Paul, MN 55107 1219 ~, \\ ~ ~~~~` ! 7E~~~ ~~~ `~\P~", `i' `~ ~ ~~~M"~ ~~~ ,~r:~ '' As part of Comcast's commitment to keep you informed on enhancements we are making to the programming we offer to customers in your community, I am writing to tell you about an upcoming change for Comcast Digital Cable customers. Effective April 15, 2003, Comcast will be upgrading the commercial-free digital music programming all Comcast Digital Cable customers receive. With this change, Comcast will replace DMX, the current digital music provider, with Music Choice, the industry's leading provider of commercial-free digital music. Music Choice provides more than 40 channels of commercial-free digital music in a wide variety of formats, as well as special concerts, live performances, giveaways, and an integrated website at www.musicchoice.com. Enclosed is a copy of the customer communication we sent announcing this programming enhancement. Please note that there is no change in package prices or customer equipment associated with this programming upgrade. Sincerely, Kathi Donnelly-Cohen 40-plus channels of commercial-free, CD-quality music, plus a variety of info on your favorite artists right on your TV. 910 Rock 929 Blues 911 Power Rock 930 Reggae 912 Classic Rock 931 Soundscapes 913 Alternative Rock 932 Classical 914 Electronica Masterpieces 915 Dance 933 Opera 916 Progressive 934 Light Classical 917 Soft Rock 935 Show Tunes 918 Hi[ Lis[ 936 Contemporary 919 Party Favorites Christian 920 80's 950 Gospel 921 New Wave 951 For Kids Only 922 70's 952 Sounds of the 923 Solid Gold Oltlies Seasons 924 Singers & Standards 953 Musica Latina 925 Big Band & Swing 954 Salsa Merengue 926 Easy Listening 955 Rock'En Espanol 927 Smooth Jazz 956 Latin Love Songs 928 Jazz 957 Mexicana ~omcast. 10 River Park Plaza St. Paul, MN 55107 PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID MINNEAPOLIS, MN PERMIT 23844 ® 900 Showcase 905 R&B and Hip Hop 901 Today's Country 906 Classic R&B 902 Classic Country 907 Smooth R&B 903 Americana 908 Rap 904 Bluegrass 909 Metal COI'Y1CgSt® Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Director -Government Relations (651) 493-5281 (651) 493-5288 -FAX April 22, 2003 Linda Magee Assistant to the City Manager Columbia Heights Cable Commission 590 40th Avenue NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Dear ills. Magee Comcasl CaUIe Communications, Inc. 10 River Park Plaza 5t Paul, MN 55107 1219 ~~~ ~ ~ c., 222%%%"'"' \\`) 1 ~ JJ q~U~ \lV`\`~ ~~~L r As part of our ongoing commitment to keep you informed about important business developments, we want to update you on the transition of AT&T Broadband Internet customers' e-mail addresses. Beginning tomorrow -April 22, 2003 -the first stage of the transition will begin for high-speed Internet customers in your community who have a-mail addresses ending in @attbi.com. Customers who began receiving service after mid-December 2002 received @comcast.net addresses at the time of installation and do not need to participate in this transition. Attached is a copy of an a-mail message that affected customers in your community will receive at their @attbi.com a-mail address beginning on April 22. It directs customers to a website, http://connect.comcast.net, which contains a transition software download and information on the transition. We are asking affected customers in your community to visit the website and download the transition software this week. Completing this transition will also allow customers to continue receiving a-mail sent to their @attbi.com address at their new @comcast.net address through December 2004. The vast majority of customers will be able to retain the username portion of their a-mail address (for example, jsmith in jsmith @attbi.com). A small percentage of customers will be assigned a new username. These customers will receive an a-mail message similar to the one I have attached this week, as well as a letter via U.S. Mail, with their new username and information on how to change it if they would like to choose another. As always, please contact me with any questions. Sinc rel ~//~ Kathi Donnelly-Cohe 1>~ Attachment [Customer migration letter] Subject: Transition to Comcast High-Speed Internet Dear AT&T Broadband High-Speed Internet customer: As your new cable provider, we want to make your transition to Comcast High-Speed Internet as easy as 1, 2, 3. To begin your transition to Comcast High-Speed Internet, all you have to do is follow these three easy steps: Go to http://comrect.comcast.net to find the Transition Wizard located in the center of the page. Download and INSTALL the Transition Wizard and follow the on-screen instructions. On or after June 30, restart your computer to begin the second part of the transition automatically. The transition wizard consists of two parts. Prior to June 30, each time you restart your computer, the wizard checks our transition server for your transition date, currently scheduled for June 30, 2003. The Transition Wizard will automatically prepare your computer for the transition and configure your e-mail settings, which will change your attbi.com e-mail address to your comcast.net e-mail address. The Transition Wizard will also set up e-mail forwarding to make sure that all e-mails sent to your AT&T Broadband Internet account are forwarded to your new Comcast e-mail account through December 2004. In order to have a smooth transition to the Comcast.net e-mail domain, you need to install the Transition Wizard on any computer that you currently use to access the AT&T Broadband service. You will need to restart each computer on or after June 30~h for the Transition Wizard to complete the second part of the transition. Don't wont', we'll remind you again about this important step. Until the scheduled transition date, your ATTBI e-mail address and homepage will not change. After the second part of the transition is completed, your Comcast homepage and e-mail account will be active and your AT&T Broadband Internet e-mail will start to be foitivarded to your Comcast.net e-mail address. Please note your username has been identified as one that needs to change because it is already in use. We have selected a new username for you as indicated below: Old ATTBI username: joesmith@attbi.com New Comcast username: jsmith72@comcast.net We apologize for the inconvenience. If you are unsatisfied with your new Comcast username and would like to select a new username, just visit ATTBI member services (link to https•//tnemberservices.attbi.com/msws/MemberServices~ to select a new one. To insure your security, we also recommend you change your password, which can be done at ATTBI member services as well. If you have questions, we'll be available through the Connection Center, e-mail and chat to help in any way we can. For the most current information on the transition or to manually change your service configurations rather than use the automatic software, visit httn://connect.comcast.net. Should you have additional questions call us at 1-888-262- 6300. You're going to see some exciting changes as a Comcast High-Speed Internet customer! Sincerely, Comcast * Please note, your Internet connectivity is not altered by this process. Your service is changing to Comcast, therefore, your incoming mail after 6/30 can only be accessed via your comcast.net e-mail box. [Customer migration letter] Subject: Transition to Comcast High-Speed Internet Dear AT&T Broadband High-Speed Internet customer: As your new cable provider, we want to make your transition to Comcast High-Speed Internet as easy as 1, 2, 3. To begin your transition to Comcast High-Speed Internet, all you have to do is follow these three easy steps: 1. Go to http://connect.comcast.net to find the Transition Wizard located in the center of the page. 2. Download and INSTALL the Trausition Wizard and follow the on-screen instructions. 3. Ou or after June 30, restart your computer to begin the second part of the transition automatically. The transition wizard consists of two parts. Prior to June 30, each tune you restart your computer, the wizard checks our transition server for your transition date, currently scheduled for June 3Q 2003. The Transition Wizard will automatically prepare your computer for the transition and configure your e-mail settings, which will change your attbi.com a-mail address to your comcast.net e-mail address. The Transition Wizard will also set up e-mail forwarding to make sure that all e-mails sent to your AT&T Broadband Internet account are fortivarded to your new Comcast e-mail account through December 2004. In order to have a smooth transition to the Comcast.net e-mail domain, you need to install the Transition Wizard on any computer that you currently use to access the AT&T Broadband service. You will need to restart each computer on or after June 30`x' for the Transition Wizard to complete the second part of the transition. Don't worry, we'll remind you again about this important step. Until the scheduled transition date, your ATTBI e-mail address and homepage will not change. After the second part of the transition is completed, your Comcast homepage and e-mail account will be active and your AT&T Broadband Internet e-mail will start to be forwarded to your Comcast.net e-mail address. If you have questions, we'll be available tln~ough the Connection Center, e-mail and chat to help in any way we can. For the most current information on the transition or to manually change your service configurations rather than use the automatic software, visit http://connect.comcast.net. Should you have additional questions call us at 1-888-262- 6300. You're going to see some exciting changes as a Comcast High-Speed hrternet customer! Sincerely, Comcast * Please note, your Internet comiectivity is not altered by this process. Your service is changing to Comcast, therefore, your incoming mail after 6/30 can only be accessed via your comcast.net e-mail box, COIY1CgSt® Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Director-Government Relations (651) 493-5281 (651) 493-5288 -FAX April 29, 2003 Linda Magee Assistant to the City Manager Columbia Heights Cable Commission 590 40th Avenue NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 Re: FCC Fee Increase Dear Ms. Magee: Comcasl Ca61e Communications, Ina 10 River Park Plaza St Paul, MN 55107-1219 This is to inform you that effective with the May billing cycle, the per-customer fee assessed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will increase from $.04 to $.05, per month. Customers will receive a message on their bill that informs them of this change. As this is a mandated increase by the FCC, a 30-day notification is not required. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, /~~ `~~ Kathi Donnelly-Cohen ~~~C~..1J,1,. COMCAST FINANCIAL REMITTANCE ADVICE tt~~CC.~~-- AGENCY CORPORATION A Comcast Cable Communications Group Company Midwest Division Office 29777 Telegraph Rd. Sle. 44008 Np, 229252353 Southfield, MI 48034 Date : 30-APR-03 Vendor Name :COLUMBIA HEIGHTS CIT Vendor No.: 154604 INVOICE NO. INVOICE DATE DESCRIPTION DISCOUNT AMOUNT NET AMOUNT 1STCTR2003 16APR-03 3-CE/MN 0.00 33,29%.49 TOTAL ~ o.oo ~ 33,za%.4s I~comcast. ~~ COMCAST FINANCIAL AGENCY CORPORATION = AComcasl Cable COmmualcallons Qroup Company MidWeslDiNSion OPoce _ -' BeRk Ono 29777 Teleggraph Rtl. Sta. 44009 .COIURibU Soulhfeld. MI 48034 ___- _. ... ray Thirtv-Three Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-Seven{ TX COLUMBIA HEIGHTS CITY OF MN Ordcr 590 40TH AVE NE -- `° of COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN 55421-3878 United States '~ - NO. 229252353 '., ONE ~ 5s-154a ~ aa1 , ,~ - 644359333 lA =" Date 30-APR-03 Df~ " - Voltl AXer 100 Das *****33,297.49 Illars And 49 -_AuthodzedSignature //~~ L'/ `-Authodzed~Signalure --ZS~ ~r 11'22925235311' ~:044ii5443~: 64435933311' e~ ~n~X ~A A,~ A~ 1a11Vt~lYIy1~+11~~ COLUMBIA HEIGHTS COMMUNITY TELEVISION MARCH 2003 PROGRAMS • Heights Calendar - 0:55:08 • Mayo-•'s Report (3/11) - 0:20:15 • Mayor's Report (3/25) - 0:28:15 • A Heart Safe Community with CH Fire Dept. - 29:00 • Northstar Commuter Rail Update - 0:28:23 • Community Forum on Vaccine Use - 1:46:30 • Anoka County Today (2 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Legislative Update - 0:15:00 • Hour of Restoration (4 shows) @ 1:00:00 • Reality Christianity (2 shows) @ 0:30:00 • Newsworthy (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) @ 1:00:00 • Light On The Gospel (2 shows) @ 1:00:00 • The LaRouche Coimection (4 shows) @ 0:58:30 • Jimmy Swaggart (4 shows) @ 0:58:30 • Army Newswatch (4 shows) @ 0:28:30 • The Prophetic Word (4 shows) @ 0:28:30 • That Which Is (4 shows) @ 0:59:00 • Atheists Talk (4 shows) @ 0:29:00 • On Main Street (4 shows) @ 0:28:15 • Christopher Close Up (4 shows) @ 0:28:00 • Somali TV of Minnesota (4 shows) @ 2:00:00 Programs Produced (internal) 4 Programs Produced (external) 67 CHANNEL PROGRAMMING • Cablecast Programs 105 • Cablecast Hours 84 FACILITY USE • Studio Hours 20 • Editing Hours 93 Mac G - 4 Usage Hours 32 Portable Equipment Checkouts 2 CLASSES • No classes were scheduled in March. Notes: • Planning for Cable Camp has started. • Lots ofpre-production for the upcoming Mn. Thunder season. A schedule will be set early in April. Game coverage will begin late May. • New equipment will arrive early in April. After installation that will mean redesign of channel bulletin board and establishment of extended playback schedule. COLUMBIA HEIGHTS DETAILED OUTAGE REPORT Mar-03 Average Time # Subs Date City Cause Minutes Amps Affected 14-Mar Columbia Heights Blown Fuse 32 25 401