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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-09-20-CAC-minLexington Communications Advisory Committee Minutes of September 20, 2012 Meeting COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Ellen Stone Room, Cary Hall Chairman Jim Goell called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. Attendees CAC members: Dave Becker, Dave Buczkowski, Frank Cai, Smita Desai, Jim Goell, Dorinda Goodman, Nick Lauriat, Maria Kieslich, Ken Pogran and Linda Roemer Selectmen's liaison: George Burnell Visitors: Tom Steel (RCN), Pieter Svenson 1. Minutes of Previous Meeting The CAC voted to accept the minutes of the June 21, 2011 regular meeting. 2. Selectman's Liaison Report Mr. Burnell had nothing to report. 3. Chairman's Report Mr. Goell noted the following: a) The Board of Selectmen voted to appoint Nick Lauriat to a three -year term on the CAC. b) Based on a vote of the Committee at the last meeting, Mr. Goell wrote a letter to the Board of Selectmen supporting purchase of cameras and equipment for the high school auditorium. c) LexMedia's annual report has been delayed until the end of September because of higher priority items. d) LexMedia has reported problems with the Public and Governmental channel streaming video equipment. It was expected to be resolved prior to this meeting. e) LexMedia is working with Pat Goddard to find a location for the offsite backup server. Presently, the temperature in the Cary booth is too high. f) The problem with the Telvue guide has been resolved. It should now be easier to use. g) The next meeting of the CAC is scheduled for October 18, 2012 at a place to be announced. 4. Cable Operator Reports a) Comcast No representative was present. However, Jane Lyman reported by email on a resident's complaint about Comcast's lines hanging too low and piled at the foot of a utility pole. It's not clear that any resident would be able to identify the owner of a cable, but Comcast inspected the area and found that their operational cables were well above the required Lexington Communications Advisory Committee Minutes of September 20, 2012 Meeting height. They also noted approximately 10 unused drop cables coiled on the ground near poles in the neighborhood, and removed the two belonging to Comcast. Over the summer, Comcast also provided the official transcript of the Ascertainment Public Hearing held on January 26, 2012, part of the negotiation process for proposed renewal of Comcast's Cable Television license that expires on August 31, 2014. b) RCN Tom Steel noted that RCN's people spent a lot of time helping the Town ready the HS auditorium for LexMedia program origination, in time for cablecasting the opening events of the Town's 300 anniversary celebration. Upon request, Mr. Steel agreed to send us a note explaining what RCN did. The CAC had questioned the backup materials that RCN sends with its PEG payments. RCN's most recent submission resolved all our concerns. We reminded Mr. Steel that the Town expects a check for the 2012 license fee payment separate from the fourth quarter 2012 PEG payment, to help us identify how much money goes to the General fund, and that we need RCN's Form 500 in a timely way. All these license deliverables are due in February 2013. Mr. Steel was very positive in his comments on RCN's business outlook, noting that their broad selection of Internet products is helping their business considerably. c) Verizon No representative was present and we did not receive a written report. 5. Cary Memorial Building Renovation and Communications Issues Ms. Roemer, the CAC liaison with the Cary Memorial Building Renovation Committee, reported that the Committee has selected the firm that did the original assessment, Mills - Whitaker, to provide more specific design and cost estimates to the Town by the end of the calendar year. Primary focus of the Committee has been to review the proposed improvements for the building and prioritize them, assuming there may not be funding available for all. The key factors considered are: - bringing the building up to code, to the extent possible - making it as useful as possible for as many activities as possible - enhancing the experience for the users of the building - and, of course, maintaining the historical foundation of the building. While the emphasis has been on the main auditorium ( "Cary Hall "), the Committee would also like to make improvements to Estabrook Hall. Currently, there is little Committee interest in providing public communications ( "Wi -Fi ") in the Cary building. There is to be a meeting on October 3, 2012 between LexMedia and Acentech, the audio consultants, about multiple simultaneous cablecasts from the Cary Memorial Building. Ms. 2 Lexington Communications Advisory Committee Minutes of September 20, 2012 Meeting Roemer suggested that Mr. Goell attend to understand how this idea might affect the CAC's interests. 6. LexMedia No LexMedia representative was present. 7. Comcast Renewal License Negotiations (D. Becker) The negotiating subcommittee met to discuss strategies for dealing with Comcast. We plan to call Jane Lyman to set up an initial meeting, if possible within the next month. 8. Revenue update, account status and long term reconciliation (D. Becker) No new information this month. A new revenue projection will be available next month, after the quarterly PEG payments are received. 9. Wireless report Information has been provided to the town attorneys concerning wireless installations at the Muzzey Condos for the suit against the town. An AT &T application was deemed an insignificant change so the Town Zoning officer is proceeding with a Special Permit. No new applications were received this month. 10. Complaints George Sacerdote wrote about an incident in which he witnessed a fire engine delayed because of low- hanging utility cables. We are informed that it was not a Comcast cable (see 4 (a), above) but are still trying to understand the circumstances. We received a complaint by Todd Cataldo on behalf of his mother Jackie Fallon. She had a problem getting a response from Comcast to a request for installation of a 300 foot drop to her converted barn. Jane Lyman of Comcast was contacted and resolved the problem. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 PM. Respectfully submitted, David Becker, secretary for this meeting.