5:00 PM, IT Office, Third Floor, Town Hall
Present:
Chris McClure ex officio
John Spinney
John Olivieri
Donna Jones
Bob Haddleton
Advisor: Jack McFeeley
This constitutes the minutes of the meeting as required MGL Chapter 39 Section 23B (9).
The meeting began at 5:00 PM
The agenda for this first meeting was laid out by Chris McClure prior to the meeting and was as follows:
1. Introduction
2. Election of Chair and Clerk
( Chairman was John Spinney, elected unanimously
Clerk was Bob Haddleton, elected unanimously)
3. Overview-- review scope of committee and goals – discussion led by Jack McFeeley
(Note: The following definitions apply, although not specifically mentioned at the
Cable Advisory Committee (also referred to as CAC): Appointed by the Issuing Authority, and its role varies according to the authority defined by the Issuing Authority. Typical responsibilities include informing and educating the public about cable television service, overseeing the ascertainment process, acting as liaison to the cable operator, supervising the cable operator’s response to complaints, responding to residents’ questions regarding the cable system, and staying abreast of community programming issues. Ascertainment: A process that affords the public with an opportunity to comment and participate during the initial licensing of a cable operator or the renewal licensing of the incumbent cable operator. It is also a period of time for the Issuing Authority to gather
data and review the cable operator’s past and present performance and to identify the community’s future cable-related needs and interests.
Norfolk’s Issuing Authority is the Board of Selectmen.)
We had a discussion on reviewing Comcast’s performance; how much other communities pay for cable service; which cable providers are used by other communities, the importance of competition in order to have lower prices, and how to keep track of service complaints.
Jack noted that the current contract was negotiated by Norfolk resident and lawyer Larry Harrington, and Cable Law specialist lawyer Bill Solomon.
4. Review Current Cable Contract, expires October 1, 2009.
5. Discuss $40,000 currently in question with Comcast related to undergrounding cable wires.
6. Form action items:
Chris McClure’s prime interest is the Institutional Network, the I-Net, currently a coaxial cable network between public buildings in Norfolk, including the Police Department. The I-Net is owned and maintained by Comcast. It carries video from surveillance cameras, alarm signals, computer data, etc. The coaxial cable is at or near the bandwidth limit, and it has in-line amplifiers, which are troublesome. Replacing the coax with fiber optic cable will result in a wider bandwidth available with a greater reliability.
The fiber optic bandwidth is 1 gigabit per strand, and a cable consists of 24 strands within one shield.
John Olivieri provided handouts with tutorial information on Coaxial Cable vs Twisted Pair copper wires vs Fiber Optics.
Donna Jones, NCTV Corporation President, provided a letter of transmittal for the last check from Comcast to NCTV showing the percentage and the basis for calculation.
7. Set next meeting. The next meeting will be called probably in April 2005.
We will keep the NCTV Manager and Board members aware of our meetings, and we will
Invite Paul Guertn to our meetings if he wishes to come.
8. Adjourn. 6:30 PM 3/3/2005
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