August 2006 CFB Minutes

August 14, 2006

MEMBERS PRESENT

Peter Blum, Chairman
Kent Burrow, Member
Elizabeth Herriman, Member

OTHERS PRESENT

Chairman Blum calls the August meeting of the Marion County Cable Franchise Board to order.

The first item on the agenda is the Approval of the July Minutes that were included in the Board packets. Ms. Herriman moves to approve the minutes. Mr. Burrow seconds the motion. The motion is voted on 3-0.

The next item on the agenda is the Cable Agency Report submitted by Mr. Rick Maultra, Director of the Cable Communications Agency.

Mr. Maultra thanks the Board for the opportunity to highlight some of the things that the Cable Communications Agency has been involved with during the past month.

The Agency has been engaged in soliciting INET alternatives for amenable transport from IFD and IPD with respect to their internal communications. With some consolidation of public safety and more being contemplated, the need for hand off and compatibility of transport is becoming more and more apparent. The Agency has been in communication with both operators with respect to IFD's request to have the five Washington Township Fire Department locations interconnected to the IFD INET. They have informed the Agency that they are discussing that internally.

Per Bart Brown's request, the Agency has been working with Bright House on a data request so that Mr. Brown may complete his review of the Bright House audit for years 2002-2003 with respect to franchise fees. The Agency has just secured the release for that requested data in the past week. Bart Brown has informed Mr. Maultra that he has the data that he needed from Scott Lewis.

Comcast submitted its rate filing for FCC forms 1240 and 1205 for limited basic tier of service and associated equipment. These forms cover a projected period from August 1 of this year to August 1 of next year for the maximum permitted rates (MPR). Mr. Maultra will expand upon this under new business.

The Cable Agency has prepared the budget narrative for their department for the City's budget books. At this time they anticipate no change to their budget of next year and anticipate forwarding as such to the Controller's Office. A copy of our narrative is included in the Board packet. The Council Committee will be meeting August 15. Mr. Maultra would like to have this matter voted on under New Business. It is a courtesy and has traditionally been over the years to have the Cable Board to approve the budget. Mr. Maultra lets the Cable Board know in advance that the budget is status quo and there are no recommended changes from the Cable Agency/Channel 16. Any increases that are seen in the 2007 budget are generated and determined by the City, in particular, the Controller.

The Agency met recently with ETC to discuss community programming options and partnerships that Charlie Wiles has been cultivating in addition to future plans for the organization.

The Cable Communications Agency has been serving as a consumer advocate to Indianapolis and Marion County cable subscribers in assisting them in mediating cable complaints on their behalf.

For the month of July, the Agency received a total of 12 complaints for Bright House. The high areas of complaints were in billing procedures and programming. For Comcast, the Agency received 59 complaints. The majority being in that of billing, which is traditional for both cable companies. Following that was in the area of telephone service, as people were trying to get through to their cable operator.

That concludes Mr. Maultra’s Agency Report and remarks and he will answer any questions that the Board may have.

Chairman Blum asks Mr. Maultra, Mr. Robertson, and Mr. Nesbit if it would make more sense to schedule a meeting with everyone involved regarding the INET issue sitting around the same table, rather than communicate through email. It seems there is a lot more confusion than there is understanding.

Mr. Robertson responds that he wants to make clear that Comcast is compliant with their INET obligations. His only concern is that they do not have to go through any big expense to tie these things together.

Chairman Blum responds that is exactly why they should meet. The requests that the Fire Department has made now that they have merged are legitimate requests. He would like them to be connected but he doesn’t want it to be such a painful process. Because the technology has changed so much, there may be other ways to go about getting this done.

Mr. Robertson forwarded information to Comcast’s construction and engineer departments so they can review it and sit in at the meeting.

Mr. Maultra stated that he sensed in side bar conversation remarks by both operators at the last meeting that there was ease of compatibility of handoff. Comcast seemed to indicate that perhaps it might not be so difficult to overcome that particular hurdle. He adds that he will be happy to have a meeting to discuss all these issues.

Mr. Maultra has been in touch with the Police Department with respect to their continued INET use, or interest in use of the INET, what the Fire Department has derived from it, and so forth. He has gotten little response from them. He cannot guarantee their participation.

Chairman Blum responds that is his point to put that to rest one way or the other. Pursue it with the operators if they are interested and if they are not, drop it.

Mr. Maultra stated there is a specific request from IFD wanting to be interconnected with the Washington Township Fire Department.

Chairman Blum responded that he thinks that is a legitimate request.

Mr. Nesbit stated that it would be nice if they could get an outline of questions in advance so they would be able to have the answers ready at the meeting and to know a head of time if they are talking about data or video.

Chairman Blum stated what is important to know is what the Fire Department wants, what the cable operators can provide, and where those intersect.

The next item on the agenda is the Government Access TV Programming Report with Ken Montgomery, Manager of Channel 16.

Channel 16 covered 53 hours and 47 minutes of live and tape delayed meeting coverage during the month of July. There were 14 hours and 19 minutes of Specials and Events Production.

In-Kind production was fairly light last month. Channel 16 did a Continuing Legal Education program for the Public Defenders Office and a Mayor’s Office Taping – Steve Campbell Message.

For series programs, Channel 16 did programs for "Focus on Health" school immunizations, "Off the Bench" with IPD Chief Spears, and "SBA Indiana" Certified Development Company Loan Program. The total for month of July in all production categories was 73 hours and 9 minutes.

The total for In-Kind services if Channel 16 would have charged for it was $1,610.

With that, Mr. Montgomery will answer any questions from the Board.

The next item on the agenda is the Cable Operators Management Reports beginning with Bright House.

Al Aldridge, Director of Public Relations for Bright House Networks will present their operator’s management report that was included in the Board Packet.

Bright House began the month with 61,216 customers and ended the month with 60,723, giving a system total of 493 customers loss for the month of July.

On the incoming call report, Bright House handled 60,360 calls out of 60,651 calls received. 54,925 calls were answered in 30 seconds or less, which gave a call answer rate of 91.0% and a busy rate of 0.003%, as represented by them.

On the Complaint Summaries Report, there were 12 complaints from 12 customers.

100% of service interruption calls were addressed within 24 hours. There were no planned outages, but there were 39 unplanned outages that affected 7,095 customers. The system reliability for the month was 99.98%, as reported by Bright House.

100% of total service calls were addressed within the next business day, unless as otherwise directed by the customer. There were no appointments kept outside of the 4-hour service window during normal business hours, unless requested by customer.

100% of standard installations were performed within seven business days after the order was placed.

There were 0.25 underground and 0.04 aerial constructions during the month of July.

The Division continued to run in-kind promotional spots for several community non-profits including Alzheimer's and Habitat for Humanity. The value of these gratis spots was $24,110.

The Division sponsored the 4th of July "Taste of Freedom" event in conjunction with Clear Channel Communications (WFBQ-FM, WNDE, X103). This event is an all day fun event at the White River State Park. The Division invited the Mayor, members of the City County Council, members of the Franchising Authority for various areas, and a large contingent of community VIPS's.

Net Literacy, a project that helps Indiana youth with computer knowledge and Internet safety, recently conducted an inaugural train-the-trainer session for inner city youth. The organization is one that Bright House sponsors. Bright House provided two guest speakers for the session and discussed their corporate leadership in community involvement. The Division has provided leadership to Net Literacy since 2005.

Bright House also sponsored "Carmel Fest," a 4th of July festival. This event includes a parade, games, and food. Bright House provided a $1,000 gift certificate for the silent auction at the event.

The Division was again a major sponsor for the Indiana Black Expo's 2006 "Summer Celebration." In conjunction with Comcast, Bright House sponsored the IBE Corporate Luncheon and produced the video saluting the IBE corporate sponsors. Bright House also hosted a joint information booth in the Convention Center for the 3-day cultural event. The Division also hosted a corporate table at "Dance Diaspora," a Cultural Arts fund-raiser, and was the host sponsor of the "Ohio Valley Star Quest." Star Quest is a regional youth talent competition that Bright House has sponsored for 10 years.

The Division hosted a Customer Appreciation Day during the month in a couple of their payment centers. Bright House served over 250 hot dogs, 200 bags of potato chips, and 220 canned sodas to Bright House Networks customers visiting their payment center.

Members of the Division continue to volunteer with the Indianapolis Public Schools Education Foundation, ICTA, the YMCA, the Walker Center, the 100 Black Men Indianapolis Chapter, and the Indiana Hemophilia Foundation.

The continued partnership with WDNI provided the required hours of local programming as mandated by the City's franchise agreement.

With that, Mr. Aldridge will answer any questions from the Board.

The next item on the agenda is the Comcast Monthly Report submitted by Rusty Robertson, Regional Vice President and Doug Ward.

Comcast represented that the number of customers requesting total basic service decreased by 830.

91.03% calls were answered in 30 seconds or less with a busy rate of 0.5%.

System Reliability for the month was 99.24%

98.01% of total service calls were addressed by the next business day, or at the direction of the customer. 99.85% of appointments were kept within the 4-hour service window during normal business hours, or at the direction of the customer.

100% of standard installations were performed within seven business days or at the direction of the customer.

Comcast calculated 59 complaints sent to the Cable Agency.

Comcast completed construction in 5 new subdivisions and 2 condominiums.

Comcast aired over 200 hours of local community interest programming during the month of July.

Comcast participated heavily in the Indiana Black Expo, serving as one of the Presenting Sponsors of the Corporate Luncheon, July 13. This year, Comcast stole the show when we presented $90,000 ($30,000 per year for the next 3 years) to Indiana Black Expo. The Comcast Foundation President's Fund grant will support IBE's flagship program, the Youth Video Institute, which teaches teens how to produce and edit their own videos. More importantly, the teens develop leadership skills and a sense of responsibility. Comcast’s Human Resource team worked the Employment Fair recruiting prospective employees, and an enthusiastic group of volunteers helped out at our booth on the floor of the Exhibition Hall. Comcast also sponsored a special appearance by Michael Wellington and Maurice Jasper, hosts of TV One's "Wet Paint."

Comcast also sponsored the RCA Championships, July 15 – 23. This tournament attracts the world's best tennis players to Indianapolis and Comcast’s sponsorship included a 2 for 1 ticket discount for customers.

Comcast sponsored the 8^th Annual Mayor's Latino Forum, July 22 at Garfield Park. This cultural event attracted more than 8,000 attendees who enjoyed a free concert, health screenings, cultural exhibits and much more. Comcast volunteers manned a booth, educating the Latino community about the wide variety of products they offer in Central Indiana.

Comcast also sponsored the Animal Planet Expo, July 22 - 23 at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park. People and pets both enjoyed the various activities at the Expo and several Comcasters volunteered to work at their "Connection Zone." Comcast and Discovery Networks co-sponsored a $1,000 contribution to the Indianapolis Humane Society, which said they would apply the money to much needed supplies for the animals as they wait for new homes. The event included an exotic animal presentation at the Indianapolis Humane Society for approximately 50 YMCA youth campers. An Animal Planet celebrity along with an Indianapolis Zoo animal handler showcased several smaller variety exotic animals to the assembled youngsters who enjoyed learning more about the animals in our environment.

Comcast aired public service announcements for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, "Multiple Symphony Spots" valued at $117,975, Indiana Literacy Foundation "IN Conjunction", $21,060, and RCA Tennis Championships, "Road Trip", $23,595.

Appearing on Newsmakers this month was David Buchanan from the Indiana War Memorial, Rupert Boneham from Rupert's Kids, Don Pennington from the Marion County Fair, Claudia Cummings from the Indiana Dept. of Administration, and others.

That concludes Mr. Robertson’s formal report and he will answer questions from the Board.

The next item on the agenda is the ETC Monthly Report. There is no one to present the monthly report.

The next item on the agenda is the Comcast Rate Review for Forms 1240 and 1205 under New Business.

The Agency recently received the 1240/1205 filing from Comcast. Indianapolis, Marion County is certified to regulate Cable rates for limited basic cable and associated equipment. Yearly, the Agency usually has a person who is experienced in looking at cable rates audit this on behalf of the City. The current maximum permitted rate is $14.56 and they have identified the maximum permitted rate at $15.31 going forward for the projected period which would cover August 1^st of 2006 through August 1^st of 2007. They have a selected rate of $14.69. They currently charge $14.00 for limited basic. That would be a projected increase of .69 cents.

Mr. Maultra recommends that the Board approve for Action Audits to take a look at the proposed rate increase that Comcast has identified for the maximum permitted rate and to make sure it falls within the FCC guidelines for various inflation rate factors and depreciation of equipment like remote controls, etc. The money is in the Agency’s budget to pay for this audit.

Chairman Blum asked Mr. Maultra how long it will take Mr. Sepe to perform this audit and Mr. Maultra responded that it would take about 2 months.

Chairman Blum asked Mr. Robertson if Comcast was shooting for November 1^st and Mr. Robertson responded that he thought that was only the deadline for filing.

The other issue Mr. Maultra would like to discuss with the Board is regarding the budget. The City County Council Finance & Administrative Committee will have a hearing on August 15^th at 5:00 PM to go over the Cable Agency’s and Channel 16’s portion of the budget. The Controller’s Office requested that the Agency and Channel 16 do a streamline budget narrative for this particular year. That was included in the Board packet. The budget is pretty simple. All of the increases in character 1 were generated internally whether by the Mayor’s Office, ISA, or Building Authority with proposed increases to rent.

There is a 3% increase to sub-object 100 on salaries. That is the 3% increase that the Mayor has proposed to give. Sub-object 130 for Group Insurance has gone up considerably over what it was last year. The other main increases are in the areas of facility lease and rental.

The Agency and Channel 16 as a courtesy asks the Board’s approval with respect or their budget before taking it to the City County Council.

Mr. Burrow asked Mr. Maultra if the grants will be maintained at the same level.

Mr. Maultra responds that the IRIS grant will still be $20,000 and the ETC grant will be $41,050. That reflects a reduction in 2006 from where it was previously.

There is no Public Comment.

Chairman Blum announces the next Board meeting on Monday, September 18th, 2006 at 2:30 PM in room 260 and adjourns this meeting.

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