HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-11-29 Cable TV Advisory Committee MinutesMinutes of the Meeting of the Reading CATV Advisory Committee
~ A
S
November 29, 2001
The meeting was opened by Doug Cowell at 7:05 PM ZOR AN' 28 P 2' 30
CAC members present were: Doug Cowell (Chair), Cheri Hart, Joe Santangelo, Douglas Cowell
Visitors present: Rob Travers (AT&T Broadband, Manager of Government Affairs), Peter Hechenbleikner
(Reading Town Manager), Amy Brough and Phil Rushworth (representatives from RCTV)
A. Old Business:
1. Minutes of the September 20, 2001 meeting were approved unanimously as written.
B. New Business
1. Rob Travers gave a briefing on current AT&T Broadband service. Reading subscribers have all the
advanced services that AT&T currently offers. Future services may include video-on-demand. AT&T
Broadband may be spun off as a separate unit by end of this year. Issues CAC discussed with Mr. Travers
included:
a. Customer service
Mr. Travers explained that they are going through a billing conversion that has hit a few snags. After
installation of the planned virtual call center, they will have more representatives on board than currently.
Member of CAC suggested that they could improve their customer service by installing timing software
that informs customers of how long the wait time will be.
b. Programming
Reading subscribers have complained to CAC members about why their bills went up so much in January.
Mr. Travers explained that was partially due to the fact that NESN (New England Sports Network) decided
they wanted to be broadcast on the lower tier and the cable company had to pass on the costs for NESN to
the subscribers.
Mr. Travers said that the local public has no direct access to programming decisions, however subscribers
are encouraged to write in their suggestions on their invoice when they pay their bill or to specify their
ideas when they are talking with a customer service representative.
c. Updates and information
Mr. Travers agreed to attend the January CAC meeting and provide answers to the following:
a. How many subscribers Reading has, in what tiers, and how many subscribe to digital cable
service?
b. Timetable for installing the stereo transmission equipment for RCTV.
c. Troubleshooting the I-loop in the RMHS feed.
d. Date when the 3Td access channel will be available for RCTV broadcasts.
2. Town of Wilmington letter to Selectmen regarding competitive CATV services: CAC voted 3-0 (one
member was absent during vote) to encourage the Reading Board of Selectmen to request RMLD review the
potential for offering a competitive cable television and/or Internet service to Reading and other towns within
the RMLD service area.
Next meeting: The next meeting of the Reading CATV Advisory Committee will be held on Thursday, January 17,
2002 in the Reading Senior Center upstairs conference room.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:23 PM.
ltd ~
to