ROBBINSVILLE: Council approves new cable deal

New pact comes two months after Mayor David Fried’s veto

by James McEvoy, Managing Editor
ROBBINSVILLE — For the second time in recent months, a 10-year cable franchise ordinance awaits Mayor David Fried’s signature.
   The Township Council adopted an ordinance granting municipal consent for the operation of a cable television system to Cablevision Systems Corporation/Cablevision of Hamilton at the Feb. 27 meeting.
   Council President Sheree S. McGowan and Councilmen Dave Boyne and Ron Witt voted in favor of the agreement. Councilman Vincent J. Calcagno dissented while Councilwoman Christine Ciaccio was absent.
   In early January, Mayor Fried vetoed a previous ordinance, citing a previous announcement that the cable provider would remove WCBS Channel 2.
   The mayor also criticized what he termed a monopoly and said that some of Cablevisions’ business practices amounted to little more than backdoor rate increases.
   ”I must oppose a process that is no process at all, but rather a bureaucratic farce,” Mayor Fried said in a Jan. 6 press release.
   Weeks later, Mayor Fried announced Cablevision would move WCBS on its Robbinsville-area systems.
   WCBS and WCBS-HD, previously channels 2 and 702 would relocate to 25 and 698, respectively.
   The cable provider had said the reason for the change was that the FCC licensed a new must carry station to WCBS’ previous channel position. Cablevision maintained that viewers were not going to lose the channel.
   However, prior to the ordinance adoption last week, Susan Sarnowski, of Hibiscus Lane, offered addition criticisms of Cablevision and urged the council to vote against the consent.
   ”Cablevision subsequently was quoted in the paper as saying that they always intended to move (WCBS) to another station,” Ms. Sarnowski said. “They’re at best disingenuous when they say that because we had received written correspondence from them saying they were eliminating that channel.”
   She said in recent years she also had experienced internet issues and increased subscription costs due to discontinued cable packages.
   ”I shutter to think what would happen if we locked in with them,” she said. “I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the residents.”
   Township officials have noted that Robbinsville is the only municipality in the state without a franchise ordinance with a cable company.
   Officials have also said the matter goes back several years. According to a copy of the ordinance, Cablevision initially filed an application for renewal in September 2007.
   Through the agreement, free cable access would be provided to Robbinsville schools, the library and municipal buildings.
   Another component of the renewal is a provision that residents on longer roads who typically have to pay for lines to be run down to them will not have to do so under the terms of the new agreement.
   According to the ordinance, even with township consent, operation is conditioned upon prior approval from the BPU.