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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-11-10-CAC-min.pdf NO' 29 93 03:43PN P 2/4 CATV AND COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMIT 1EE TOWN OF LEXINGTON MINUTES OF November 10, 1993 The meeting was held in Room 111 at the Town Offices. In attendance were members: Julian Bussgang (Chair), Caleb Warner, Bill Spencer, Jack Cunha,Ted Mairson, Jane Gharibian,Lionel Fray Bussgang opened the meeting with a series of announcements. 1) Penny Contos has been replaced as General Manager at Cablevision by William Paul Morton. 2) The Town Report Committee has requested a report from the Committee due in December. It should include information network planning, license transfer and other current information. Warner agreed to prepare the first draft. 3) The Committee membership in the Mass. Chapter of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) has expired and should be renewed. The cost is approximately$300. 4) Bussgang has received a letter from the Mass. Antenna Television Commission requesting rate information needed for evaluation of Cable rates. 5) A resident has contacted Bussgang concerning his filing of a rate complaint with the FCC. He needed the Town FCC ID number in order to file his complaint and was given the number by Bussgang. 6) Bussgang received a Supplemental Budget Request Form for the Town Managers office. He will request, for the Committee, $15,000. as the first installment on legal fees needed for the license renewal process. It has been estimated that legal fees over the two year period could be from $20,000-$50,000. 7) Bussgang read in the Lexington Minuteman that the Selectmen had voted to increase the number of members on the Committee to 12, as we had requested. The minutes were received,corrected and accepted as corrected. The Selectmen s meeting of Nov 22 will include a presentation by Lincoln Labs on fiber optic cable connection/technology Mairson and Spencer will attend as the Committee s representatives. Bussgang refreshed the Committee on some of the information presented at the Selectman s meeting with the State Commission. We can notify Cablevision, or they can notify us, when we want to begin the license renewal process. They have a four month period for response. We then move into the Ascertainment" period. There are several requirements to be met during that period: 1) Public hearings must be held. 2) Surveys must be done (These can be included in Cablevision bills.) In order to include all of the town, it was suggested that the survey should run in the Minuteman paper,as well. 3) Consumer complaint records must be reviewed. 4) Local organizations which might want to use the equipment and services should be contacted for comments and proposed needs. 5) The license document itself must be reviewed. Discussion was held on how to draft the survey for residents and organizations. Warner wondered how we could presume to survey when the technology is changing so rapidly that we might miss some important possible advances. Suggestions included wording the questions such that expectations and needs could be divided: 3 years, 5 years, 10 years. It was agreed that the wording of the questions would be very important because the negotiations must be based on the survey results. Fray will request sample surveys from 110%, 29 33 03'44PM P 3/4 — the State Commission and from neighboring towns and the attorney, Peter Epstein, who has worked on licensing in the past. Fray will review what we get and present to the Committee. A motion from Mairson, seconded by Fray and adopted directed Bussgang to prepare a resolution whichwmrie uesi uncial help—froth the Selectmen for the fee expected from Epstein. Bussgang asked for help from members in reviewing the past license document. Cunha will review the Local Origination/Access portion. Warner will provide him with copies of the 4 documents used for back-up. All previous documents will need to be reviewed in 5 areas: Subscriber network, I Trunk, Technical issues, Statutory issues and Regulatory issues. The January 1990 report, Compliance Review Report, was believed to be the most concise and comprehensive document for review and could substitute for reviewing individual documents. Mairson and Spencer will review the I Trunk portion. The schools, technology and I-net resolution for the appointment of Bill Spencer has been drafted by Bussgang and submitted to the Selectmen. The Town Manager sent out RFPs to communications companies interested in wiring Fiber Optic cable in the town. The Committee was not consulted or contacted about this. He received responses from MFS McCourt &Teleport. In addition the town received a separate proposal from an MIT/Bell Labs/Digital Consortium. Cablevision has estimated a $23,000. expense to connect the Lincoln Lab on the Internet. The Consortium proposed a research network running at 90 tera bytes. Informal negotiations have resulted in an agreement that Lincoln Lab will connect the I trunk to microwave and the town will approve the research network. This is coming up for a formal vote of the Selectmen. MFS McCoun is proposing to donate 2 fibers out of its 36 fiber bundle (1 in each direction) dedicated to town use as an "in kind' contribution in return for allowing them to use the town rights of way to wire the 36 fiber bundle. The two dedicated fibers could be connected in one of two ways, one very expensive, the other simpler and cheaper. They could connect the High School, the white house, the town building(including Police and Fire.) Or, the connection would be made from the Lincoln Lab Nearnet just to the High School. After much discussion the Committee decided to advise the Selectmen to reject the 'in kind' proposal. Bussgang will write a letter recommending that a fee payment in dollars be proposed instead. Bussgang suggested that the Committee submit a proposal to the Selectmen to form an information network subcommittee which could add members who do not sit on this Committee and could include a Municipal representative, appointed by the town manager. The meetings of this sub-committee would have to be posted. Several issues concerning the Town Manager's role in communications issues in the town have surfaced recently After discussion, the committee decided that clarification of jurisdictional issues on technology, cable and communications and the role of the Town Manager need to be discussed with the Selectmen. Bussgang and other members will discuss with individual Selectmen on an informal basis. It was agreed that a letter will be drafted on this problem, but not submitted to the Selectmen until they have acted on the previous proposal concerning the appointment of Bill Spencer. NOV 29 '93 03'-15PI 1 P 4/4 Warner requested that it be on the record that he had submitted his corrected and revised Rates chart to Cablevision 15 days ago and has not received a response from them. They have not responded to his telephone calls. The Committee agreed that Somers should be told that if response is not made soon, the rates will be requested from the FCC or the Mass. Commission which should have them on file. A request will be made of Cablevision that the new General Manager, Wm. Morton, attend our next Committee meeting. Warner agreed to contact him about the meeting and about the Rates chart. Bussgang,joined by Spencer again relayed the Committees' thanks to Warner for the outstanding job done on the chart. The next Committee meeting will be held December 15, Wednesday, at 7.30 p.m. Before the adjournment, Bussgang delivered an invitation from the Bedford Cable Advisory Committee for members to attend any of their meetings. The meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, _ ' - (_ L / h i- Jane B. Gharibian