Got a beef about cable service?
Public hearing Monday on new 10-year pact with Comcast
POTTSTOWN » Any borough resident with something to say about their cable service with Comcast had better clear their schedule for Monday night.
That’s when a public hearing will be held on a proposed new 10-year franchise agreement between the company and the borough.
The hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the third floor council chambers at borough hall, 100 E. High St.
It will be the public’s only chance to have a say before council votes on the agreement.
During Wednesday night’s work session, Borough Manager Justin Keller said the deal will provide a 5 percent franchise fee to the borough, which works out to about $350,000 to $400,000 a year over the term of the contract.
Keller also said the agreement does not prevent other service providers from coming into the borough, a question he gets asked “all the time.”
He said other providers like FiOS “aren’t interested in coming here.”
But Comcast representative Brian Jeter said his company is
happy to be here. Jeter outlined for council what he sees as the many benefits of having Comcast provide services in the borough.
He highlighted the new Xfinity store the company opened in the Upland Square Shopping Center and noted that upgrades are on tap for the building on Shoemaker Road, that houses 80 to 100 employees.
Councilwoman Lisa
Vanni asked the only pointed questioning of Jeter.
She complained there are not a lot of options for picking channels or different levels of pricing, but Jeter said there are more options available than there were just one year ago.
He also said the company offers basic Internet service for qualifying lowincome families for as little as $9.99 per month.
This article first appeared as a post in The Digital Notebook blog.