HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-CAC-rpt-annual.pdf 1989 ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
CABLE TELEVISION AND COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The primary responsibility of the Cable Television and
Communications Advisory Committee is to advise the Board of
Selectmen on all matters relating to the use of the Lexington
CATV Cable as a means of communication within and outside of
the Town of Lexington, and to oversee the performance of the
franchisee against the terms of the grant The committee has
eight members and meets monthly A member of the Board of
Selectmen acts as a liaison for the town and attends all
meetings
During 1988-1989, the Cable Television and
Communications Advisory Committee has concentrated on a
compliance review to summarize and evaluate performance by
the cable company and to compare these with promises made in
proposals and incorporated into the license The committee
has studied the documents which define the license granted by
the Selectmen to the cable company (first, Adams-Russell,
then Cablevision) It has tried to stay alert to important
developments in information technology and to anticipate
issues and positions which may be important at license
renewal time (The present license will expire in 1996 and
renewal proceedings can begin as early as 1993 ) Our
objective has been to protect the best interests of the town
with respect to information technology
The committee has identified five documents which define
the relationship between the town and the cable company
These have been reproduced and studied by members of the
committee The Selectmen, Town Manager and Town Counsel have
cooperated in retaining counsel for the committee who is
expert in cable law He is Peter Epstein, Esquire of Boston
A Compliance Review Questionnaire was prepared by the
committee and submitted to Cablevision along with a request
for a written reply The written reply was reviewed in two
sessions by the committee in cooperation with Henry Ferris
and Jay Somers of Cablevision Then the written reply was
reviewed by the committee in session with counsel, Peter
Epstein
The committee decided to send a letter to Cablevision
expressing dissatisfaction with Cablevision ' s response to the
questionnaire and identifying the most important issues which
require action This letter was mailed on November 6, 1989
The committee has scheduled a public hearing on matters
pertaining to the compliance review This will take place in
Estabrook Hall at 7 30 p m on Tuesday, January 9, 1990