Feb. 28, 2008
Cable Franchise Renewal Coming Up
Several Council Members Have Negative Opinions of Comcast; Kent: 'I Don’t Think We Should
Renew'
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Cable companies operate within a city on the authority of a franchise granted by said city. In fact, you pay a few bucks a month to administer the franchise fee.
The franchise for Comcast Cable (successor to Adelphia) comes up for renewal in April , according to Dr. Calvin Kent at the Monday night City Council meeting. He wants to form a committee to explore all the complaints that have been received about the service. Pricing, selections within various tiers of service, and failure to properly televise council meetings like their predecessor are just some of the complaints.
“I don’t think we ought to renew what they have now [the franchise agreement] and say they are doing a wonderful job, when they are not,” Dr. Kent told HNN after the council meeting.
The councilman's chief complaints with the franchise which Comcast inherited are reliability and lack of a la carte channel selection or, alternatively, a selection process that allows “themes” to be selected i.e. sports, movies, home improvement, etc.
In fact, the views of vice chairman Paul Farrell are also anything but Comcastic. “We need to evaluate [whether we can do anything] as the cost continues to escalate. The service is not as good as any of us would hope it to be,” Farrell said. “It’s gotten so expensive that the common man has difficulty paying it when they bundle it with your telephone and computer, the bill is going to be $150 a month for basic service.”
[Editor’s Note: Although the councilman did not define ‘basic’ service, the $150 a month price tag closely reflects Comcast’s package that includes all of the premium movie channels --- HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, The Movie Channel, digital tiers, regional 24 hour sports channels and an internet package, along with the rental for equipment , taxes, and franchise fees.]
However, Farrell’s statement on ‘bundling’ and ‘basic’ represent definitions that likely differ depending on the viewer and the household. For instance, Adelphia, offered discounted premium movie bundles along with discounted high speed internet service.
Comcast, like other businesses such as cell phone providers, offer lucrative introductory rates on various packages that sharply rise at the end of the intro period. You could compare it to the expiration of the promotional interest rate on a credit card that after the six or twelve months reverts to its normal interest charge, after they lured you to transfer a balance. At least one consumer complained that the terms of the offers are not made fully understood at the time of purchase.
Dr. Kent complained of lengthy channel outages i.e. “losing a channel for a long period before it is restored” But the pricing / selection appeared to be the most significant concern raised by the people he represents.
“People complain that one or two channels are important to them [yet they ] have to buy the whole package. I think it would be better to have more consumer choice to be able to buy the channels that they want, rather than a whole bunch that they do not want at a high price,” Kent explained.
The a la carte (pay per channel) plans have long been advocated by some members of Congress, including Sen. John McCain. The concept has been used by those people receiving television services through the large (big ugly dish) dishes. The individual channel prices are higher, but, for instance, you have ability to subscribe to one or more packages, then add a specific channel (or more) that are not included in the package. Among the “small dish” (Direct TV, Dish Network) options a la carte choices have generally been reserved to premium multicultural (Hindu, Chinese, Russian) channels, adult movie channels, and, of course, the premium movie channels.
Cable television operators have ardently opposed the ‘a la carte’ pricing due to the intricacy of contracts with both over the air channels and individual networks. For instance, the Fox affiliate might require that all of Fox’s channels (F/X, Fox Movie, Fox Reality, Fox Business, Fox Sports) be carried or Turner Networks known for CNN may require Headline News, Cartoon Network, TNT and TBS. In some cases, the negotiations hinge on the channel position. A lower position and carriage on a “basic” tier guarantees the availability of more potential viewers. The digital television conversion that allows local channels to have numerous digital siblings (i.e. My Z TV ) also is a Washington regulatory fight --- local stations want cable to be forced to carry all their siblings; cable operators would like to pick and choose, call it their version of a la carte, except they make the choices and the viewer(s) do not have necessarily the ability to shop competitively.
The small dish (Direct TV, Dish Network) have given some competition to cable operators, but, in nearly all cities nationwide, there is one cable company for the entire city. Thus, it’s, the cable guy from your town, the satellite dish, or the emerging Verizon programming that comes through telephone wires.
Recognizing these a la carte realities, HNN asked Dr. Kent about a compromise… more themed choices for viewers. He agreed these would appeal to “people that want all the sports channels or all the gardening and home improvement.” But “people complain that one or two channels are important to them.
Kent, for instance, strongly advocates that the local franchise be required to carry televised Marshall University games no matter what network offers them.
“They ought to be required any time a Marshall sports event is televised [by a cable network], they would be responsible for televising it [to this market] no matter who is actually carrying it.”
The councilman also believes that the franchise should be required to deliver a better quality televised council meeting than having just one unmanned, wide shot camera in the chamber. Along similar areas, “They need to maintain and update the public access channel which I don’t think is unreasonable compared to other cities.”
In fairness, this reporter has received excellent service when a technician has been required with the repair person arriving well within the anticipated period. Telephone internet troubleshooting has also been good to very good, although its quality depends on length of time and the complexity of the problem.
Like the council members, though, internet outages are a routine occurrence, but they seem to last for briefer time periods. (Note: This reporter works elsewhere during daytime and prime time; his use of internet at home could be described as mostly evening, late evening, early , early morning , holidays and weekends.)
When the changeover from one provider to another occurred, the package discount for cable plus internet has gone away. It’s cheaper now to have cable and sign up for wired internet service through other providers. In fact, if you want the newest digital channels (or certain old favorites), you’ll need to select a small dish (Direct TV or Dish Net) , a BUG (big ugly dish) or wait for Verizon to introduce its competitive internet and cable channel service, FIOS TV.
Actually, Comcast has somewhat muddled the extended cable package, having dropped Women’s Channel and others from it. On their digital package, they replaced American Life TV (a Baby Boomer favorite with shows unavailable elsewhere) with Fox Business Network. American Life, one of the few independently owned channels left in cable, has generally broadcast vintage tv series not showing on any other network or local channel, such as “Man From UNCLE,” “I Spy,” “Surfside 6,” “Superman,” “Cheyenne,” “The F.B.I.,” “Mission Impossible,” “Welcome Back Kotter,” and popular shows from the 60s, 70s and early 80s.
Among the missing “genre” channels, for which Comcast has ample digital room --- Sleuth (a 24 hour mystery channel), Boomerang ( Turner’s classic cartoon channel which features “The Jetsons,” “Tom and Jerry,” “The Flintstones,” “Yogi Bear,” “Space Ghost,” “Huckleberry Hound,” and others), Hallmark’s quality movie channel, and Chiller (a 24 hour horror channel with “Twin Peaks,” “Alfred Hitchcock,” “Tales from the Crypt,” and “Friday the 13th”).
Having rearranged digital tiers it’s difficult to find a moderately price package that appeals to viewers who enjoy a particular genre, i.e. sports or movies or news. The premium sports and premium movies are intermixed. And, as most viewers know, sports programming is some of the most expensive per subscriber. However, the Comcast website has a special $5.00 digital sports addition that includes NFL Network , NBA Network, College Sports TV, Fox Soccer Channel, and Fox College Sports). You must be a digital subscriber, though, in order to add the package.
As City Council prepares for a cable franchise renewal debate, most recognize that what was once a “luxury”, now has become a must have utility, particularly with such options as The Weather Channel, 24 hour news, and popular “basic” channels like USA Network, F/X, Lifetime, and TNT.
Comcast does offer small over the air packages that add home shopping and religion to the local affiliates for less than $20. But, a subscriber cannot subscribe to the bare minimum, then, for instance, select three or four others. Instead, they run into extended basic followed by digital tiers. Thus, you generally have to keep adding packages. For instance, to get Turner Classic Movies (Channel 141), you would have to have the basic expanded and also the digital basic.
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
Cable Franchise Renewal Coming Up
Several Council Members Have Negative Opinions of Comcast; Kent: 'I Don’t Think We Should
Renew'
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Cable companies operate within a city on the authority of a franchise granted by said city. In fact, you pay a few bucks a month to administer the franchise fee.
The franchise for Comcast Cable (successor to Adelphia) comes up for renewal in April , according to Dr. Calvin Kent at the Monday night City Council meeting. He wants to form a committee to explore all the complaints that have been received about the service. Pricing, selections within various tiers of service, and failure to properly televise council meetings like their predecessor are just some of the complaints.
“I don’t think we ought to renew what they have now [the franchise agreement] and say they are doing a wonderful job, when they are not,” Dr. Kent told HNN after the council meeting.
The councilman's chief complaints with the franchise which Comcast inherited are reliability and lack of a la carte channel selection or, alternatively, a selection process that allows “themes” to be selected i.e. sports, movies, home improvement, etc.
In fact, the views of vice chairman Paul Farrell are also anything but Comcastic. “We need to evaluate [whether we can do anything] as the cost continues to escalate. The service is not as good as any of us would hope it to be,” Farrell said. “It’s gotten so expensive that the common man has difficulty paying it when they bundle it with your telephone and computer, the bill is going to be $150 a month for basic service.”
[Editor’s Note: Although the councilman did not define ‘basic’ service, the $150 a month price tag closely reflects Comcast’s package that includes all of the premium movie channels --- HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, The Movie Channel, digital tiers, regional 24 hour sports channels and an internet package, along with the rental for equipment , taxes, and franchise fees.]
However, Farrell’s statement on ‘bundling’ and ‘basic’ represent definitions that likely differ depending on the viewer and the household. For instance, Adelphia, offered discounted premium movie bundles along with discounted high speed internet service.
Comcast, like other businesses such as cell phone providers, offer lucrative introductory rates on various packages that sharply rise at the end of the intro period. You could compare it to the expiration of the promotional interest rate on a credit card that after the six or twelve months reverts to its normal interest charge, after they lured you to transfer a balance. At least one consumer complained that the terms of the offers are not made fully understood at the time of purchase.
Dr. Kent complained of lengthy channel outages i.e. “losing a channel for a long period before it is restored” But the pricing / selection appeared to be the most significant concern raised by the people he represents.
“People complain that one or two channels are important to them [yet they ] have to buy the whole package. I think it would be better to have more consumer choice to be able to buy the channels that they want, rather than a whole bunch that they do not want at a high price,” Kent explained.
The a la carte (pay per channel) plans have long been advocated by some members of Congress, including Sen. John McCain. The concept has been used by those people receiving television services through the large (big ugly dish) dishes. The individual channel prices are higher, but, for instance, you have ability to subscribe to one or more packages, then add a specific channel (or more) that are not included in the package. Among the “small dish” (Direct TV, Dish Network) options a la carte choices have generally been reserved to premium multicultural (Hindu, Chinese, Russian) channels, adult movie channels, and, of course, the premium movie channels.
Cable television operators have ardently opposed the ‘a la carte’ pricing due to the intricacy of contracts with both over the air channels and individual networks. For instance, the Fox affiliate might require that all of Fox’s channels (F/X, Fox Movie, Fox Reality, Fox Business, Fox Sports) be carried or Turner Networks known for CNN may require Headline News, Cartoon Network, TNT and TBS. In some cases, the negotiations hinge on the channel position. A lower position and carriage on a “basic” tier guarantees the availability of more potential viewers. The digital television conversion that allows local channels to have numerous digital siblings (i.e. My Z TV ) also is a Washington regulatory fight --- local stations want cable to be forced to carry all their siblings; cable operators would like to pick and choose, call it their version of a la carte, except they make the choices and the viewer(s) do not have necessarily the ability to shop competitively.
The small dish (Direct TV, Dish Network) have given some competition to cable operators, but, in nearly all cities nationwide, there is one cable company for the entire city. Thus, it’s, the cable guy from your town, the satellite dish, or the emerging Verizon programming that comes through telephone wires.
Recognizing these a la carte realities, HNN asked Dr. Kent about a compromise… more themed choices for viewers. He agreed these would appeal to “people that want all the sports channels or all the gardening and home improvement.” But “people complain that one or two channels are important to them.
Kent, for instance, strongly advocates that the local franchise be required to carry televised Marshall University games no matter what network offers them.
“They ought to be required any time a Marshall sports event is televised [by a cable network], they would be responsible for televising it [to this market] no matter who is actually carrying it.”
The councilman also believes that the franchise should be required to deliver a better quality televised council meeting than having just one unmanned, wide shot camera in the chamber. Along similar areas, “They need to maintain and update the public access channel which I don’t think is unreasonable compared to other cities.”
In fairness, this reporter has received excellent service when a technician has been required with the repair person arriving well within the anticipated period. Telephone internet troubleshooting has also been good to very good, although its quality depends on length of time and the complexity of the problem.
Like the council members, though, internet outages are a routine occurrence, but they seem to last for briefer time periods. (Note: This reporter works elsewhere during daytime and prime time; his use of internet at home could be described as mostly evening, late evening, early , early morning , holidays and weekends.)
When the changeover from one provider to another occurred, the package discount for cable plus internet has gone away. It’s cheaper now to have cable and sign up for wired internet service through other providers. In fact, if you want the newest digital channels (or certain old favorites), you’ll need to select a small dish (Direct TV or Dish Net) , a BUG (big ugly dish) or wait for Verizon to introduce its competitive internet and cable channel service, FIOS TV.
Actually, Comcast has somewhat muddled the extended cable package, having dropped Women’s Channel and others from it. On their digital package, they replaced American Life TV (a Baby Boomer favorite with shows unavailable elsewhere) with Fox Business Network. American Life, one of the few independently owned channels left in cable, has generally broadcast vintage tv series not showing on any other network or local channel, such as “Man From UNCLE,” “I Spy,” “Surfside 6,” “Superman,” “Cheyenne,” “The F.B.I.,” “Mission Impossible,” “Welcome Back Kotter,” and popular shows from the 60s, 70s and early 80s.
Among the missing “genre” channels, for which Comcast has ample digital room --- Sleuth (a 24 hour mystery channel), Boomerang ( Turner’s classic cartoon channel which features “The Jetsons,” “Tom and Jerry,” “The Flintstones,” “Yogi Bear,” “Space Ghost,” “Huckleberry Hound,” and others), Hallmark’s quality movie channel, and Chiller (a 24 hour horror channel with “Twin Peaks,” “Alfred Hitchcock,” “Tales from the Crypt,” and “Friday the 13th”).
Having rearranged digital tiers it’s difficult to find a moderately price package that appeals to viewers who enjoy a particular genre, i.e. sports or movies or news. The premium sports and premium movies are intermixed. And, as most viewers know, sports programming is some of the most expensive per subscriber. However, the Comcast website has a special $5.00 digital sports addition that includes NFL Network , NBA Network, College Sports TV, Fox Soccer Channel, and Fox College Sports). You must be a digital subscriber, though, in order to add the package.
As City Council prepares for a cable franchise renewal debate, most recognize that what was once a “luxury”, now has become a must have utility, particularly with such options as The Weather Channel, 24 hour news, and popular “basic” channels like USA Network, F/X, Lifetime, and TNT.
Comcast does offer small over the air packages that add home shopping and religion to the local affiliates for less than $20. But, a subscriber cannot subscribe to the bare minimum, then, for instance, select three or four others. Instead, they run into extended basic followed by digital tiers. Thus, you generally have to keep adding packages. For instance, to get Turner Classic Movies (Channel 141), you would have to have the basic expanded and also the digital basic.
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