HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-05-03-CAC-min TOWN OF LEXINGTON
COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MAY 23, 2018
Call to order. CAC Chair Kenneth Pogran called the meeting to order at 6:35 PM in the
Ellen Stone Room of the Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue.
Members Present: Ken Pogran, Chair; Ben Moroze, Rita Vachani, Dorinda Goodman,
Dave Buczkowski, Bob Avallone, Steve Iverson, Dave Becker
Members Absent: Smita Desai, Nicholas Lauriat, Ramin Taraz
Quorum: A quorum of members was present.
Others Present: No other persons present.
Materials Referenced: Minutes of the meeting of April 19th, 2018; DRAFT input to
Selectmen's Goal Setting process
1. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
The minutes of the meeting of April 19'h, 2018 were unanimously approved.
2. Carrier Reports
There were no service provider representatives present, and no carrier reports.
3. Selectman's Report
Joe Pato was not present, and there was no Selectman's Report.
4. Chairman's Report
a. June meeting date:
The June CAC meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday, June 14'h, to
accommodate members' schedules. It will be held at the LexMedia studios.
b. Committee member reappointments, September 2018:
Smita Desai and Dave Becker are up for reappointment as of September 2018.
Steve Iverson's one-year reappointment will expire in September, and he will
leave the CAC.
c. September 2018 to June 2019 meeting schedule:
CAC meetings will be held on the third Thursday of the month in the Parker
Room at the Town Offices building.
5. RCN 2019 License Renewal
Dave Becker reports that the hearing will be held on June 18th, 2018, and that the
required notice is set to be published in The Minuteman newspaper. A public
comment period will last for two weeks after the hearing date. Ascertainment consists
of determining how the incumbent has performed relative to the current license, and
also determining the town's needs re: services provided by the licensee. Ken Pogran
has solicited comments re: the latter from stakeholders (town, schools, and the
public).
6. Comcast Payments Update
Rita Vachani reports that Comcast has made the required payment via electronic
transfer.
7. CAC Input to Selectman's Goal-Setting Process
Ken Pogran has provided two suggestions for the Selectman's goal-setting: First, in
light of the potential for substantially reduced PEG revenues over the next few years,
a LexMedia-like regional organization might be considered, which would be shared
with other towns; 2nd, a notice to the Selectmen: In FY2020 the Town will need to
conduct an RFP and contract negotiation process for a new "Cable Access
Agreement" to replace the existing contract.
8. "Net Neutrality" Update
Bob Avallone reports that State Senator Mike Barrett hopes a bill can be passed in the
State Senate to counter the Federal "net neutrality" reversal; opposition comes mostly
from large providers, who claim they're not planning on big neutrality changes
anyway, and who considered themselves over-regulated under Obama administration.
9. Town IT Update
Dorinda Goodman reports that she met on June 1st with RCN and the project manager
for the Minuteman Tech fiber feed that will provide a connection to LexMedia; RCN
does have fiber on the site, and the project manager has agreed to put conduit into
Minuteman. She also reports that RCN's Tom Steele agrees that the Town should not
have to pay the bill the town received for additional extensions / splicing.
10. Wireless Applications
Members of the Committee tasked with considering new wireless applications were
not present; no report.
11. Complaints
No complaints noted for April or May. Ramin Taraz will cover in June, and Ben
Moroze in July.
Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Steven Iverson
Recording Secretary