Pittsfield Cable Panel Maps Out Work Before Spectrum Talks
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — At its second meeting, the reconstituted Cable Advisory Committee looked ahead to its hiring of outside counsel and ascertainment process for negotiating a new contract with Spectrum.
An attorney is being considered to guide the process with a price tag ranging from $7,000 to $14,000 and a subcommittee was created to make an ascertainment schedule for the next nine months.
"It's an important process for the stakeholders in the community to have their say and to have varied and diverse communities to be able to hear from them," said member Shawn Serre, who is the executivedirector of Pittsfield Community Television.
"And those are the kinds of things we will have to design as a committee to make sure that we can reach out and bring those voices in to make commentary."
A funding request was tabled until they have more information on the resources needed for outside counsel.
The city's 10-year contract ends in September 2024 and it is recommended that the contract negotiations take place over 12 months.
Before September of this year, the committee will gather feedback from the community on what is and is not working with Spectrum and any additional needs.
This includes reviewing documents and forms, surveying, having a focus group, and public hearings.
"I think the very first thing is we have to have a schedule," said member James Moran, who will help draft a schedule for the ascertainment process.
Serre reported that he researched three attorneys in the state that specialize in cable television franchise renewals. Two of the three responded and after one dropped out due to a possible conflict of interest, one remained.
William Solomon, who is based in the eastern end of the state, has a good amount of experience working with Comcast and has done several charter renewals.
"He has a pretty good feeling for how Comcast operates and the types of resources that they have at their disposal and the types of tactics that they will use in situations like this, Serre said.
"So I was very comfortable hearing that from him and knowing the experience that he has, I feel like he would be an excellent fit for representing us at the table."
The attorney expressed interest in working with the city and said he would be available to meet with the commission at its next meeting.
The cost estimate of $7,000 to $14,000 would depend on the number of times Solomon would have to come to the area.
Committee members agreed that it is a reasonable ask for an attorney.
"I think that’s reasonable, personally," Serre said, adding that there would be other costs if it turned into a court case or needed an official review.
There was some concern about only having one candidate for the job and he agreed to reach out to the attorney whom he hadn’t heard back from again.
The committee will also look to other communities such as Falmouth and Worcester to inform its process.
For the next meeting on Feb. 9, the panel hopes to have a schedule for community input actions to take before September as well as a scope of work and funding request to send to the mayor.
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