HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-01-22-CAC-min (Negotiating Subcommittee)
COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
NEGOTIATING SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING
Room 111, Town Hall
January 22, 2014
The meeting was called to order at 6:50 PM.
Attendees
Negotiating Subcommittee members David Becker, David Buczkowski and Nick Lauriat; Jane
Lyman from Comcast.
We discussed the Board of Selectmen’s meeting schedule, and agreed we should try to have the
new contract in front of the Board in May or June to avoid the infrequent scheduling of the
Summer months.
D. Becker: “We aren’t happy with the proposed ‘noname’ draft license.”
Jane: “The problem is that the existing license language is VERY old.” “We would rather see
you mark up a contract Peter Epstein has been through recently.” “Some of the language in the
existing contract might be 20 years old!” Dave Becker explained what he knew of the history of
the existing contract.
Jane: “It’s going to take a heck of a lot longer for us to get through a marked up version of the
existing contract!”
Dave said he would send the 2004 license (unmarked), and we committed to send a marked up
license in a month or month and a half – early March.
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Jane reminded us during the October 29 meeting we agreed to improve the language of the
section about the converter boxes necessary to provision cable service to town and school
buildings.
Jane explained the “Education Connection” program about free bandwidth to the schools. Jane
emphasized that the goal wasn’t to provide “backup” bandwidth, the goal was to provide an
educational tool. We agreed this was an aside to the renewal license.
We suggested a more appropriate in-lieu of I-Net payment would be 0.55% instead of 0.50%. In
exchange for changing to the percentage of gross annual proceeds (from a fixed cost), we asked
that Comcast agree to provide an HD PEG channel within a year. Dave Buczkowski pointed out
that one year from renewal was almost 18 months from now.
Jane: “That would be a huge problem. It would be hugely precedent setting.” “We have lots of
programming only in SD that people watch in droves.” “We understand the trend towards HD.”
Jane: “In at least one community, (Cambridge?), we have a side letter about a HD channel for
PEG.” Jane said she would try to get us a copy of that side letter.
Jane requested that we have Peter review the redlined license before we send it to her.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nick Lauriat.