Minutes_Cable Regulatory Commission 4 14 10MINUTES OF CABLE TV REGULATORY COMMISSION MEETING
April 14, 2010
CITY HALL ANNEX CONFERENCE ROOM #2
MEMBERS PRESENT: Andy Bellings, Walt Webster, Charlie EIIis, Ron Tigges.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Kevin Stevens.
OTHERS PRESENT: Craig Nowack, City of Dubuque Cable TV Coordinator
Kathy McMullen, Mediacom
Mr. EIIis called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
Acceptance of the Agenda
Upon a motion by Mr. Bellings, seconded by Mr. Webster, the agenda was approved 4 -0.
Approval of the Minutes of the September 9, 2009, Meeting
Upon a motion by Mr. Bellings, seconded by Mr. Webster, the Minutes of the September 9, 2009,
meeting were approved 4 -0.
Public Comment
There was no public comment.
The Dubuque Franchise
Mr. Nowack provided a brief summary of the events relating to the Dubuque cable franchise from
the notice in November 2009 in which Mediacom claimed to have converted the municipal
franchise to a state franchise to efforts to amend the state franchise law in Des Moines that were
signed into law recently by Governor Culver.
The Regulatory Commission
Mr. Nowack brought up for discussion the idea that if Mediacom were to be operating under a
state franchise, would there be a ongoing role for the Regulatory Commission to fulfill? He had a
brief discussion with Assistant City Attorney Tim O'Brien about this, and Mr. O'Brien suggested
that reviewing a community partnership agreement for the City Council might be the Commission's
final act. Mr. EIIis recalled the years prior to deregulation when the Commission played a role in
channel selection and subscriber rates and other regulatory issues, but over time the authority has
eroded significantly. Mr. Bellings asked if there would be a role for the Commission if a competitor
began offering service in town. Mr. Nowack said he would have difficulty imagining a competitor
negotiating a franchise with the City when it could very easily get a franchise from the state.
Mr. Tigges moved to request feedback from the City Manager and City Council on whether there
would be value to have input from the Regulatory Commission if cable service is regulated by a
state franchise. The motion was seconded by Mr. Webster and approved 4 — 0.
Mediacom General Manager's Report
1
Ms. McMullen said that personally and as a representative of Mediacom she hopes to work with
the members of the Commission and the City as she has in the past, in what she called a good
relationship. She reported that Mediacom has 125 communities in which they have a state
franchise and talked about how the cable business has changed and is changing. She said that
Mediacom will no longer be prepaying franchise fees and there will be a quarterly "true -up" for
each quarter. She said Mediacom will be sending a letter stating this. Ms. McMullen reported that
Tine -up changes scheduled to occur today are being delayed as Mediacom reconsiders its various
network - affiliate changes.
Ms. McMullen provided an update on Mediacom's rollout of DOCSIS 3.0 technology which should
be in place in Dubuque in the 4 quarter of this year.
Mr. Tigges excused himself from the meeting.
Staff Report
Mr. Nowack reported on the overwhelming sense of confusion that many subscribers are
experiencing with all the changes to their cable service that have been occurring since the digital
transition started last year.
Future Agenda Items /Comments & Concerns
No items were discussed.
Adjournment
Upon a motion by Mr. Webster, seconded by Mr. Bellings, the meeting was adjourned at 6:25 p.m.
2