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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmay 15, 2008 (2)THE MINUTES OF TI-IE TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FROM THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2008 The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Dennis Stroik, Chairperson. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Excused Members: Unexcused Member: Council Representative: City Representative: Comcast Representative APPROVAL OF MINUTES Dennis Stroik, Robert Peltier, Reuben Ruen, and Dan Swee. Bob Buboltz and Ken I-Ienke Brad Peterson Bruce Nawrocki Linda Magee Kathi Donnelly-Cohen Motion by Peltier, seconded by Ruen, to approve the minutes of January 17, 2008. All ayes. Motion Passed. OLD BUSINESS A. Channel Check Peltier conducted the channel check. No problems were found. B. Correspondence Log and Follow Up on Complaints Staff had not received any new complaints. As a follow up on Dan Swee's complaint from the last meeting, he reported that he never did receive the itemization of his bill. He paid whatever total they billed him for and cancelled his service. C. Status of Franchise Renewal Linda and Kathi Donnelly-Cohen have had preliminary discussions regarding the franchise renewal agreement. Prior to the next meeting they will meet again with Walt, Bruce Nawrocki and Legal Counsel to negotiate some of the remaining details. Then the final proposal will be brought to the Commission for their review so a recommendation can be rnade to the City Council. D. Other Old Business There was no other old business. NEW BUSINESS A. Receipt of 4`~' Quarter 2007 and 1 s` Quarter 2008 Franchise Fees A copy of the Franchise Fees for 4"' Quarter 2007 and Is` Quarter 2008 were enclosed in the agenda packets. TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES MAY 15, 2008 PAGE2 B. Notice of Programming Changes Notice was received regarding changes to the HD Channel line up starting in April. The additions and new channel assignments were detailed in the notice. Swee asked what resolution constitutes high definition for the purpose of cable programming. Kathi said she would get this information for him. C. Notice of Extreme I-Iigh Speed Internet Service Comcast began offering residents and businesses one of the fastest broadband services available in the US. 50 Mbps downloads and 5 Mbps uploads will be offered at dris time, with hopes of increasing the speed even more over the next few years. The new service will be offered at $149.95 par month for residential customers. Business customers can take advantage of the new higher speed service for $199.95/month. D. Notice of Price Adjustment Effective June 1, 2008 Beginning June 1, 2008 the cost of Basic Cable will increase by $.47 per month. However, the cost of Basic 2 Cable will decrease by $.47. The result for the combined package will not change. Pricing for all Digital Packages will remain the same. Those taking Basic I will be the only ones who see an increase. Changes to the equipment and installation rates were also detailed in the notice. Kathi reviewed the various changes to the equipment rates and noted that the price for converter boxes went down. She explained how the FCC has limited Cities rights over recent years and how rates are regulated and justified by the requirement of the 1240 forms. E. Addition of HD Programming Effective May 30, 2008 Effective May 30, 2008 HD programming will be adding ABC Family to channe1229, Disney HD to channe1230, and Science Channel HD to channe1211. They will be available with the Digital Starter package, F. Receipt of Annual Report The Annual Report was enclosed in the agenda packets for review. There was some discussion regarding the results of the customer survey. It was noted that the majority of the people who responded still refer to the TV Supplement for a programming guide even though the Star Tribune no longer has one. Kathi stated that the St Paul Pioneer Press does still have a TV Supplement with their newspaper. Linda reminded Kathi that the financials still have not been received, therefore she recommends holding off on formally accepting the report until the information is received. G. Other New Business A commission member asked about the future of the cable studio. Kathi said that issue is being addressed as part of the renewal process and options will be considered during the negotiation process of the final agreement. She stated that the present low use of the facility makes any programming produced there not cost effective. There was further discussion regarding the access channels and the programming schedules. While doing a channel check, it was noted that channels 14 & 20 have message screens on them, which Kathi will check on, since those chamiels are not presently in use. TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES MAY 15, 2008 PAGE 3 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 were included in the agenda packets for the commissioners to review. Kathi answered questions from the members regarding outages and equipment problems. She also explained what the terms on the reports meant. Kathi reminded members that the system problems are not due to age because the system is constantly being upgraded and technological improvements are always taking place. C. Report of Cable Attorney The Cable Attorney was not present. D. Report of the Assistant to the City Manager Nothing further to report. Motion by Swee, seconded byPeltier, to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 pna. All ayes. Respectfully submitted, Shelley Hanson Secretary