Present:
- Linda Miller, Chair, Lenox
- Anita Schwerner, Stockbridge
- Michael Canales, Stockbridge
- Patrick White, Stockbridge
- Dan Miller, Great Barrington
- Tom Hatch, Great Barrington
- Rene Wood, Sheffield
- Chris Britain, Lee
- The 5 towns are Sheffield, Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lee and Lenox.
- Miller called the Public Meeting to explain the steps in negotiating a new contract with Spectrum to order. The Commonwealth requires
- Ascertainment – determining the needs and level of satisfaction in community
- Negotiation
- To ascertain, the Advisory Committee distributed a survey and received 500 responses. Summary of results:
- Displeasure in compliance with contract
- Displeasure with speed of complaint to resolution
- Rapid rise in monthly cost of cable without improvement in or expansion of service
- The negotiation
- Important to note that since had no compliance problems with Time Warner, the Advisory Committee gave up the clause on noncompliance and damages. It was a mistake as there are problems of this nature with Spectrum
- Question: since Charter/Spectrum is a monopoly, what power do we have to negotiate?
- Two responses: this is a new process and other communities in the Berkshires are watching and perhaps a possibility to create a countywide association and more negotiating power
- White asked: This is a 10-year contract and subscriptions are projected to go down significantly over the next ten years — since the Spectrum payment to CTSB is linked to number of subscribers (94cents/month per subscriber) — is there a plan for funding CTSB? Could five Select Boards vote to supplement CTSB budget
- Response from Wood: No, she is on Sheffield Select Board and will not ask them to supplement CTSB budget
- Response from Chair: since it is nonprofit there may be funding options — could investigate
Editor’s note: Chair recommended that all cable users that have complaints, write her. The Cable Advisory Committee cannot advocate on the behalf of users’ unless the committee has a written complaint.
