Comcast cuts off public comments

Officials say the time has expired for the public to weigh in on renewal of the cable company’s franchise in Lambertville.

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — A hearing on the renewal of Comcast’s franchise agreement may not resume this month because the cable company says the clock has run out for public comment.
   In a letter to city Clerk Lori Buckelew, Comcast declined to proceed with the public hearing the city had scheduled for Dec. 17.
   The letter, dated Dec. 4, was signed by James V. Mallon, area manager of government affairs.
   ”Comcast is ready to begin negotiations on the franchise,” Mr. Mallon wrote.
   ”I’m a little bit surprised they’re looking to so aggressively cut off public comment,” Mayor David Del Vecchio said. “When everyone has a chance to comment, everyone is a winner.”
   Regulations of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities say the public hearing must conclude within 120 days of Comcast’s filing an application for renewal with the city and with the BPU. The application was filed Jan. 8, and the 120-day period expired on May 8, according to Comcast.
   ”At this point, we are a full seven months beyond the expiration of that time period,” Mr. Mallon said in his letter.
   Mayor Del Vecchio said city officials remain uncertain of Lambertville’s options, which they will investigate before proceeding.
   ”I don’t know if we’re clear what this means to us,” Mayor Del Vecchio said. “We’re still exploring what options we have. In some regards, the rules are very specific and probably don’t favor towns. I think this shows also why the statewide franchise of Verizon would bring competition to the situation and will, ultimately, create a situation where the winners are the viewing public.”
   Verizon was granted a statewide cable franchise in August 2006, but it does not have a presence yet in all municipalities.
   Comcast said in a statement released Friday, “Comcast is proud to serve the city of Lambertville and values the long-standing relationship we’ve had with the city. We look forward to commencing the next stage of the franchise renewal process and will negotiate in good faith with city officials to reach an agreement that meets the needs of the community.”
   The city opened the public hearing at least twice in November. Neither was well-attended, but the few who did attend, including local officials, expressed displeasure with the company’s service as well as its programming.
   About 30 percent of Comcast’s Lambertville customers are analog viewers. Nov. 1, they lost the ability to view a local favorite, NBC’s Philadelphia affiliate WCAU, which moved to a digital channel. To continue to view WCAU, analog customers would have to obtain a digital box for their television sets.
   Comcast is running a 12-month promotion, offering the box free to Lambertville’s analog customers who want to switch to digital. After a year, the box would cost $1 per month more than what they pay now for basic service.
   Additional television sets in a household would require their own digital boxes at a cost of about $5 each per month.
   Comcast spokesman Fred DeAndrea said in a written statement, “Almost 70 percent of our New Jersey customers already subscribe to digital cable, and this percentage continues to increase at a rapid pace. The recent channel moves we made will allow us to continue our commitment to bring new programming, high-definition options and more to our digital customers. In the past couple months alone, we added TBS in high definition and Game Show Network to our digital lineup, NFL Network HD to our sports entertainment pack and Selecto, a 12-channel Spanish language programming package. We also expanded our video on demand offerings to 10,000 with approximately 95 percent available at no additional charge.
   ”Customers can enjoy the out-of-market Philadelphia affiliate of NBC along with the benefits of digital picture and sound quality, our interactive program guide, video on demand, parental controls, music channels and more by simply getting a digital converter box. Most customers can get their first set-top box for as little as $1, and many of our analog customers have taken advantage of this opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the digital world in which we now live.”