Dalton Pushes for Capital Funding in Charter Contract
DALTON, Mass. — The Cable Advisory Commission presented its pressing needs for local cable access to a Charter Communications representative, with hopes they will be included in the cable company's draft license.
The town's attorney on the issue, William Solomon, advocated for negotiating on the biggest issues first, specifically capital funding, but noted that there has been an impasse for other towns for which he has negotiated contracts.
"Nowadays, I think they're telling people they don't give any capital," Solomon said before the presentation portion of the meeting.
The commission presented its 13-page cable ascertainment to Nancy Clark, Charter Communications director of government affairs, during its meeting on Monday. Clark participated via Zoom.
The station manager Michael Sinopoli collaborated with consultant Eric Dresser to produce the document, which goes into detail about the station's mission and vision, examples of current programming, one-year metrics, strategic priorities, letters of support, needs, and challenges.
More on the station's needs here.
The town expects that some compromises are possible on various sections. However, Solomon recommended that Charter first respond with its perspective on addressing the major issues. Once those are discussed, Charter can introduce additional topics as it sees fit, allowing for a more focused and productive negotiation process, he said.
"I think you and I have had a number of conversations about the approach for licenses in a number of towns, and as I have said to you before, Charter is not going to negotiate details of a license without a document," Clark said.
Solomon asked Clark how she would like to conduct the negotiations, saying that developing a 50-page license only to find out that Charter is not willing to give the town capital is a waste of time.
"[What Charter is willing to give for capital is] good to know, because then we can spend our time on a different track," he said.
Prior to answering Solomon's question, Clark said she had allocated an hour to the meeting and but would be happy to reconvene with the group.
"I am not going to have a lengthy debate with you about the ..." she began, but Solomon interjected, clarifying that he wasn't looking for a debate — just a brief answer about her preferred negotiation approach.
Clark said she has enough information to put together a draft license. Solomon asked if the draft license will have numbers, video return, and other information.
"The draft license will have the details in it as I am able to provide them," Clark responded.
Solomon questioned whether these details are just going to be the substance and legalese, he said, adding that he believes these are not unfair questions following a brief silence.
"They are unfair questions, because you know exactly what a Charter Communications cable license looks like," she said, as Solomon interrupted her to say, "I don't, you tell me. I'm listening. You keep on talking in circles. Tell us what it is."
Clark emphasized how all of Charter's cable licenses are on the state Department of Telecommunications and Cable website.
"And you know that," she said, thanking the commission for the meeting before signing off.
The station has been operating in Dalton for more than four decades, broadcasting on topics including public interest, education, local news, and local sports. The last time the town had a contract was in 1997 with Time Warner Cable, which was purchased in 2016 by Spectrum, which is owned by Charter.
The station has grown but its outdated equipment has restricted its capabilities. That includes slow internet speeds, operating on old analog equipment, inability to broadcast in high-definition, and limited streaming options.
The committee hopes to negotiate a 10-year license contract which would include PEG (Public, Educational, and Governmental) capital, capital contributions, franchise fees, connections, and other items to be negotiated to help meet cable association's needs.
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