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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-04-17-CAC-min TOWN OF LEXINGTON COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF APRIL 17, 2014 Present: Ken Pogran, Chair, Dave Becker, Dave Buczkowski. Frank Cai, Smita Desai, Dorinda Goodman, Steve Iverson, Nick Lauriat, Linda Roemer, Geoffrey Xiao. The meeting was called to order at 6:33. Minutes: Under number 7, in the first line the phrase “four-year” term was changed to “three-and-a-half.” With this change, the minutes were approved. Carrier Reports: Therewere none,although the Chairman reported that Tom Steel had told him that RCN had worked out an agreement on fees which would help with the situation he had described the previous month. Selectmen’s Report: None, as Mr. Pato was not present. Chairman’s Report: Town Email Address System: Mr. Pogran reported that he was now checking the site daily and had actually received something on it. It was agreed that at this point only the Chair would use the committee’s site. Ms. Goodman suggested that there were some shortcuts that would make it less cumbersome to use. Membership Contact Information: Members should let the Chairman know if they would like to be listed other than as on the draft. There was a discussion as to whether committee and sub-committee minutes would be archived through this system. This issue was discussed later in the meeting. Next Meeting: The Chairman reminded the members that our next meeting will be th held at LexMedia at the usual time on May 15. LexMedia Update: TheChairmanreported that Florence had provided an update. Broadband connection to backup server: Was connected yesterday but not tested yet. RCN HD Channel: After further difficulties, the RCN HD channel is back up. Government Coordinator Position: LexMedia had hired John Clarke, who had been an intern at LexMedia and was a recent graduate of Colby-Sawyer College. LexMedia Contract Extension: The Chairman expressed his willingness to draft an amendment to the current contract, which would incorporate the required changes. The committee, led by Mr. Buczkowski, concurred with this plan. Ms. Roemer reported that the working group was on schedule with the timeline and had an early draft of the evaluation. th The Public Hearing will be held on April 29 at 6:30 in Estabrook Hall. LexMedia will be urged to record it as a way to track comments. If they cannot, Ms. Goodman can arrange for an audio recording. Committee members are urged to attend. Community Center Technology Group: Mr. Pogran and Ms. Goodman are both members, Mr. Pogran representing the CAC and Ms. Goodman, the Town’s IT department. There was a discussion of the needs at the Center and budget constraints. Ms. Goodman and Mr. Pogran said that LexMedia would get what it had asked for at the Center. Future needs would have to be budgeted for later. Wireless Coverage in Lexington: Mr. Pogran said he had not received any information as a result of his inquiries to the providers but that a new application had been received from Verizon. The Committee discussed whether there was more it could do to improve coverage. This discussion was postponed until next year because of the Committee’s current workload with two contracts under discussion. Comcast Negotiations Update: Dave Becker reported that at the Sub- Committee’s request the Town had issued an RFP to Comcast which requires a st response by May 1. Mr. Becker said he was not sure how difficult the negotiations would be but that there would be some “horsetrading.” It was noted that it was possible that the CAC might have to meet during the summer to consider the contract if it is not completed by the June meeting. Town Fiber Update: Ms. Goodman updated the progress. She is working with a firm which will be able to deal with the clogged areas. She hopes this will be completed during the summer. Wireless Report: Mr. Cai had just received the new application. He expressed some concern about how records were kept on applications. He thought that there needed to be a better way to keep track. Following this there was a more general discussion about tracking documents. The question was raised, for example, about LexMedia reports and the Committee’s responses. These go to the Town Manager—does he archive them? The Chair will check with the Town Manager’s Office about the Town’s document system. Complaints: Mr. Lauriat had one from the previous month but was unable to confirm whether it had been resolved. There were none for April. New Business: Mr.Beckerraised a question about how when the cable companies offer a triple play discounted rate the discount is applied across the three services. His concern was that the Town was being shortchanged if they took more than a fair share out of the cable portion. The Committee agreed it was a good question but did not know how it would find out although it could ask. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:03. Respectfully submitted, Linda Roemer