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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-09-20-CAC-min TOWN OF LEXINGTON COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 Call to order. CAC Chair Kenneth Pogran called the meeting to order at 6:37 PM in the Parker Room (G-15) of the Town Office Building, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue. Members Present: Ken Pogran, Chair; Bob Avallone, Dave Becker; Dave Buczkowski, Dorinda Goodman, Ben Moroze, Ramin Taraz, Rita Vachani, Nick Lauriat. Members Absent: Smita Desai, Steve Iverson. Quorum: A quorum of members was present. Others Present: Jeffrey Schribshbim, resident; P. K. Shiu, resident, Niall Connors, Verizon representative. Materials Referenced: Draft minutes of the meeting of June 14, 2018, complaints contact assignments, recording secretary assignments, revised draft response to the LexMedia Q3 report, application of Mr. P. K. Shiu. 1. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes. The minutes of the meeting of June 14, 2018 were unanimously approved, with corrections. 2. Carrier Reports Niall Connors of Verizon discussed Verizon's desire to replace 10-year cable TV license contracts with 5-year contracts going forward. Also discussed was their interest in 5G fixed wireless as a potential replacement for FiOS. This will not affect Lexington anytime soon though. 3. Selectmen's Report There was no Selectmen's report due to the absence of Joe Pato. 4. Chairman's Report a. Committee membership Rita Vachani and Dave Becker will be re-appointed to three-year terms, but Steve Iverson will not continue. P.K. Shiu has applied to join the committee and was interviewed later in the meeting. b. Meeting dates Meetings will continue the on the 3rd Thursday and will take place in the Parker room except once in May or June when we will meet at Lex Media. The one date exception is the September 2019 meeting, which will be held on the September 12, the 2nd Thursday. As usual, the Committee will not meet in July or August unless necessary. c. Working groups Ken reviewed the duties of the various groups. Bob Avallone agreed to fill a vacancy in the Lex Media group with Smita Desai and Rita Vachani. The group will review the performance of Lex Media. The LexMedia contract expires in June 2020, and we may need to go to Town Meeting to allow a ten year contract instead of five. Wireless Communication - Ramin Taraz agreed to join the Wireless Communication group with Ken Pogran, Dorinda Goodman, and Ben Moroze. Ken noted that providers are trying to improve cell service by adding small cell sites mounted on utility poles, but there is concern from some members of the community. Some feel they are unsightly. Dave Becker, Dave Buczkowski, and Nick Lauriat will continue in the Licensing and Negotiations group; Dave Becker and Rita Vachani will continue in the PEG Accounts Analysis group, and Nick Lauriat and Ben Moroze will continue in the Wireless Applications Review group. d. Assignments The assignments for Recording Secretary and Complaints will be updated and released. Complaints for October and November will be switched due to a conflict. 5. LexMedia update Due to the absence of Florence DelSanto there was no Lex Media update. 6. CAC response to the LexMedia Q3 report The Committee voted unanimously, with one abstention, to approve the revised response to the Lex Media Q3 report. 7. Town IT report Additional bandwidth was installed. Network was installed at the pool and at the temporary fire station. 8. RCN license renewal The RCN license is due to be renewed by June of next year. We are on track to meet that date. 9. PEG account analysis Dave Becker plans to meet with the town finance officer. 10. Net Neutrality Bob Avallone discussed the updated news. One Federal appeals court, the Eight Circuit, has ruled that States cannot have their own Net Neutrality rules. The Massachusetts Senate has passed a Net Neutrality transparency bill, but has stopped short of reinstating Net Neutrality at the state level as there is fear it would conflict with Federal law. The bill next goes to the House. The Federal Net Neutrality bill is stuck in the House. A discharge petition has been unsuccessful so far. 11. Wireless applications AT&T has applied for a new cell "small cell site" on a utility pole on private property near Bedford street, which requires town zoning approval. There was some discussion. Ben Moroze reported that carrier coverage maps are proprietary. People want better coverage but resist more towers because of cell site aesthetics. Residents adjacent to a small cell site on a town right-of-way utility pole on Baskin Road have complained about the site's operation interfering with their sleep; they and neighbors have asked Verizon to turn off the site at night. Last year there was a formal complaint about this site to the Board of Health. Measurements were made, the site was found to be in compliance with FCC requirements, and the complaint was dismissed. 12. Complaints Ramin Taraz and Ben Moroze reported no complaints. Nick Lauriat reported one complaint from a consumer who wanted more information about lower-cost Verizon services. Nick encouraged her to do more research into what was available. 13. Committee applicant interview The Committee interviewed P.K. Shiu, a two-time resident of Lexington. He has volunteered in schools and is interested in joining the committee. He works in software and travels frequently for work. Dave Becker asked if the travel will interfere with his ability to attend meetings. Mr. Shiu answered that he has control of when he travels so attending most meetings will not be a problem. The Committee voted unanimously to recommend to the Board of Selectmen that Mr. Shiu be appointed to the Committee. 14. Election of Committee Chair The Committee voted unanimously to elect Ken Pogran Chair for another year; Ken abstained. Bob Avallone raised the idea of establishing a Vice Chair, as several other committees have done. The sense of the Committee was that there has not been a strong need to have a Vice Chair, although the idea could be considered in the future. 15. New Business There was no new business. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 PM. Respectfully submitted, Bob Avallone Recording Secretary