Save Access

from: Boston Globe

Lack of local cable access causes static for Verizon

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff
May 27, 2007

Marlborough residents who subscribe to Verizon for cable television service can get hundreds of channels beamed in from around the world, but if they want to watch local cable-access shows, they're out of luck. At least for now.

The situation has irritated many Verizon customers, including City Councilor Edward Clancy, who said customers pay the company a franchise fee each month to make local programming possible.

"We should not be paying for something we cannot access," he said.

The two cable-access channels, M8 and M10, feature an eclectic mix of programs, from "The Big Sandwich," a hodgepodge of homemade video shorts by station producers, to "Off the Wall," a sports talk show hosted by city residents.

The cable-access station's airing of City Council and School Committee meetings has become a mainstay and part of the local democratic process. Residents across the city -- including former mayor Dennis Hunt, who said he was a fan while in office -- have reported watching the meetings from the comfort of home.

Marlborough City Council president Arthur Vigeant said he was so frustrated by Verizon's failure to carry cable-access programs that he asked its station managers to scroll a message onscreen warning viewers about switching to Verizon. He said he was alerted to the problem by his mother, who switched to Verizon and can no longer view her son presiding over council meetings.

"A lot of people changing are trying to save a few dollars," Vigeant said. "They're seniors and they're the ones who really watch."

Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro said the company is not yet required to provide residents with local cable-access programming. Under the company's contract with the city, finalized last fall, Verizon has a year to provide the service. Santoro blamed negotiations with Comcast, a rival cable provider, for the delay.

He said Verizon can only link with the station's signal through an arrangement with Comcast, which already offers the channels to its subscribers.

"It takes time to get them to play ball with us," Santoro said of Comcast.

Marc Goodman, spokesman for Comcast, offered a different view.

"We speak to them on almost a daily basis," he said. "Our work is based on Verizon's priority schedule."

Before Verizon obtained its franchise from the city last fall, the Marlborough cable market was dominated by Comcast.

Under the terms of its license, Verizon has to set aside 4.5 percent of its gross revenues to fund the local cable-access station. The company passes on the cost to subscribers in their monthly bill as a franchise fee.

Since then, Verizon has blanketed the community with a marketing blitz, offering its "Triple Play" package (high-speed Internet, cable, and telephone) for $99 a month.

Clancy said his monthly bill, for example, includes a $2.14 franchise fee for the local programming.

Santoro acknowledged that Verizon has been collecting the fees. He said the company will pay the station, which operates from downtown Marlborough, at the end of the year.

Exactly how much Verizon and Comcast collect in fees is not clear. Neither company releases information about how many subscribers they have in Marlborough, citing competitive reasons. Station officials said they received a payment of $300,000 from Comcast last year.

Dan Guindon, executive director of M8 and M10, said he thinks Verizon customers are missing out. The station recently started producing its own weekly news show, "Marlborough This Week."

"It's difficult to hear people can't watch us," he said. "We do so much good programming here."

Megan Woolhouse can be reached at mwoolhouse@globe.com.