1998-07-BOS-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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61-183 Selectmen’s Meeting – July 6, 1998 CATV License Renewal Process Jane Gharibian, Chair of the Cable TV and Communications Advisory Committee (CATV), asked Julian Bussgang to present the renewal process and ask the Board for two actions. David Kanter and Robert Warshawer were also present to answer any questions. The CATV has two activities in progress: 1) CATV is currently negotiating with RCN, which is in partnership with Boston Edison. RCN has submitted a proposal to the Town to establish a new competing cable TV operation, presumably including telephone and Internet services. RCN already has a license with Somerville and they are now negotiating licenses in other Boston-area communities (Brookline, Arlington, and Belmont). As soon as we have a reasonable agreement with RCN, we will ask the Board to conduct Public Hearing on a license with RCN. 2) The Cablevision License was issued for a five-year period on September 1, 1996. According to federal statutes, three years before the license expires you can begin negotiations. Cablevision has informed CATV that they will give notice on September 1, 1998 to begin negotiations. Peter Epstein, Counsel on cable issues, has advised CATV to hold a Compliance Hearing before negotiations begin. Compliance hearings are not held often, but the Town is entitled to hold one every year under the current license. A Compliance Hearing was last held in 1989 and ended in 1990. CATV drafted some written questions to address to Cablevision, which is the first step requiring them to answer in writing before the public hearing is held. Cablevision advised CATV they would not be available the last two weeks in August. The date being considered is August 12 (Wednesday). The Board is the issuing authority for the Town and they are the only ones that can make the request for a Compliance Hearing, but they can authorize CATV to prepare for it and represent the Town. The CATV is requesting at least one, if not more, Selectmen be available to open and close the hearing. CATV would conduct the hearing with Cablevision. The purpose of the hearing is to get input from the public. CATV gets occasional comments, but this is an opportunity for people to appear. Cablevision has informed CATV that they had a news release, which stated they are planning to rebuild the Lexington System to provide telephone and Internet service and they indicated it would happen within the next three years, but they have not given any detailed schedule. The two actions CATV would like the Board to vote on are: 1) to authorize CATV to prepare and conduct a Compliance Hearing on behalf of the Board of Selectmen; and 2) to designate a date for the Compliance Hearing subject to arrangements with Cablevision. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the Cable TV and Communications Advisory Committee to designate a date, prepare, and conduct a Compliance Hearing pursuant to 10.2 of the current Cablevision license. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to allow the Cable TV and Communications Advisory Committee to use Peter Epstein as necessary during the license renewal process.