Just one person showed up to complain in person about the city's cable TV or internet service at a public hearing Tuesday evening.
Rob Pickel, the lone attendee, complained about problems getting calls answered since the Lincoln's Charter/Spectrum call center was closed.Ìý
At the last public hearing, in 2014, the hearing room was packed, said Arthur Zygielbaum, chair of the city's Telecommunications/ Cable Television Advisory Board.Ìý
At that time, there was no competition to Time Warner for cable TV. Now there are three companies — Charter Communications providing Spectrum services (formerly Time Warner), Windstream and Allo — offering cable and internet service.Ìý
So rather than complain at a public hearing, perhaps customers are switching.Ìý
More than a dozen Charter customers wrote in, with complaints ranging from rising prices, problems getting calls answered at call centers, and losing KETV as part of the Charter Spectrum TV package.Ìý
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One Spectrum customer did complain in a letter that Allo had cut the cable for potential Windstream service in his yard, but Windstream had not repaired it yet.ÌýÂ
The public hearing is part of performance evaluation that the advisory board has begun on the three cable/internet providers.
The board will be conducting a telephone survey to find out customer attitudes, will accept written comments through Sept. 30, and hopes to have a report in early in 2019.Ìý
The city has also started negotiations with Charter (formerly Time Warner) on its franchise agreement with the city, which ends at the end of 2020.ÌýÂ
Information from the performance evaluation will also be used in those negotiations, according to Steve Huggenberger, an assistant city attorney.Ìý
The city has hired CBG Communications Inc. to do a needs assessment of Charter Spectrum services, under an almost $107,000 contract.Ìý That assessment of what the community wants, needs and expects, will be part of the negotiations, Huggenberger said.Ìý