HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-03-19-CAC-min
TOWN OF LEXINGTON
COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MARCH 19, 2015
Call to order.
CAC Chair Ken Pogran called the meeting to order at 6:34 PM in the Parker
Room, Town Hall.
CAC Members Present
: Ken Pogran, Chair; Dorinda Goodman, Linda Roemer, Smita Desai,
Frank Cai, Maria Kieslich, David Becker; Nick Lauriat, Steven Iverson, Ben Moroze and David
Buczkowski.
CAC Members Absent:
None.
Others Attending:
Suzie Barry, Selectman; Jill Reddish, Verizon; Tom Steel, RCN
1.Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
The minutes of meeting of February 19, 2015 were unanimously approved, subject to the
correction of typographical and other minor errors.
2.Welcome new members
Selectman Suzie Barry is the new liaison between the Board of Selectmen and the CAC. She
was warmly welcomed, and she introduced herself as well.
The Board of Selectmen have appointed Ben Moroze as new CAC member. Each member
introduced him or herself to Ben, and Ben introduced himself to the committee.
3.Carrier Reports
Ken expressed to Verizon’s Jill Reddish the Committee’s concern that the “franchise fee”
check received recently from Verizon does not have information to identify the purpose of
the check. Jill explained that Verizon is using a new accounting system. They are actively
improving the system, and the issue will be resolved in the next year.
Linda asked about the possibility of “A La Carte” service from Verizon. Jill responded that
Verizon had no plans to do so. She mentioned that Verizon marketing is working on
packaging channels so that subscribers pay only for groups of channels he/she wants.
Jill discussed the difficulty of provide service to Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) residents. If
MDU residents have complaints about lack of service from Verizon, they should talk to their
MDU manager first to get the info.
Tom Steel from RCN discussed the confusion surrounding new FCC regulations regarding
“network neutrality” which makes it difficult for providers such as RCN to know how to
proceed.
RCN has concerns regarding content providers and retransmission fees. Smaller cable
operators feel there should be regulations regarding what broadcast channel operators are
allowed to charge in retransmission fees. Tom explained that the “bundled” services price to
subscribers is fixed for a contract period, but fees sought by broadcast channel operators and
other content providers keep going up. Broadcasters now ask cable operators to pay for
programs that were free before. This is the major driving force behind surcharges and price
increases.
Linda questioned why the regular service prices from three major providers are similar, and
whether we are seeing any benefits from competition. Tom explained that the competition is
mainly in initial rate promotion. Long-time customers will see similar prices for all
companies. Also, Tom mentioned competitive pressures from “over-the-top” Internet TV
streaming.
4.Chairman’s report
With the appointment of Ben Moroze, the CAC is now fully staffed.
Linda Roemer, Smita Desai and David Becker are due for reappointment in September.
Dave Becker talked with Mass. Cable Competition division. New legislation may offer a
better way for municipalities to handle PEG money. Dave will send the information to Ken.
Ken updated the meeting minutes and complaints schedules.
The CAC page on the Town web site is up to date, and all CAC contracts and documents
have been loaded to the web site.
Ken plans to schedule our next meeting at LexMedia to follow the tradition. Ken will speak
with Florence. This year’s group photo for the Town Annual Report may be taken at
LexMedia.
5.LexMedia update
The water leak in the LexMedia facility has been fixed. The insurance company is evaluating
the damage.
Linda has checked that the LexMedia complaints list has been uploaded to the LexMedia
website. LexMedia has fulfilled its contractual requirements.
Maria will review the next quarter report due at the end of April.
6.PEG account research
Dave Becker explained that the report on the PEG account from the Town’s finance
department is very opaque. It is very hard to track the usage and balances. Dave distributed a
sample report to the Committee and explained why it is confusing. Dave generated a new
document with additional details.
Ken explained two aspects of the importance of PEG account reports. First, we need to be
able to determine that expenditures properly belong to the PEG account (such as equipment
expense). Second, the CAC needs to understand the trend of PEG revenues so that we can
foresee whether the PEG account will continue to support LexMedia fully down the road. If
not, the CAC may need to propose to the Town to set aside money to fund LexMedia in the
future.
Maria suggested that knowing the accurate balance is most important, saying that we should
be able to track the most recent number.
Ken suggested that all CAC members give some thought to what we learned today about this
PEG expense report. What we can do about this could be discussed at the next meeting.
7.Cable TV licensing
Dave Becker distributed the state Form-100 to CAC members. The form has to be filled out
by any applicant to provide cable TV services. Dave explained the main points of the form
and what info we can obtain from the applicant company.
8.Cellular coverage
Selectman Suzie Barry suggested the CAC should propose research into wireless coverage in
Lexington as a goal for the Board of Selectmen for next year.
It was suggested that a brief (ten question) survey could be taken of town residents to learn
the degree of the issue. Questions could include “How many people solely work from
home?”, “How many families only have cellular phone and no landline?” etc.
Ken questioned whether there was any existing channel by which Town government is
informed about FCC regulation changes.
A few CAC members volunteered to form a working group to brainstorm how to proceed
with this.
9.Complaints
A complaint received by Smita in January has been closed. There are no complaints opened
in February or March.
Frank Cai will handle complaints in April and Maria Kieslich in May.
10.Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:08 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Frank Cai