CC Minutes - 09/28/98 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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requesting an inquiry at the meeting currently taking place. He estimated the cost of such an inquiry to be $5,000. Ms. Nathanson asked what was meant by the statement in the Agenda Item Summary that the possibility for an inquiry came at a time when "modification of citizen complaint process to reduce the number of complaints received by the City" was being addressed. Mr. Kolb replied that issues involved in the concern included a desire to reduce the number of complaints about TCI service which were directed to the City without having been considered with the service provider, and the ability of TCI to handle subscriber complaints. Ms. Nathanson asked what was meant by the statement in the Agenda Item Summary that the possibility for an inquiry came at a time when "resolution of differential rate structures for certain users" was being addressed. Mr. Kolb explained that an example of the concern was that certain private student housing complexes were treated as separate residences for cable television hookup by TCI, instead of having rooms be treated as subunits of the entire building, as was the case in other multiple occupancy residences. Mr. Lee stated that he supported seeking resolution of the unfair practice of charging individual cable television service sign-up and connection fees in these complexes. Mr. Tollenaar asked what would ensue if it was determined that the merged corporation would not have the financial and management capacity to provide adequate cable television service to fulfill the requirements of the current franchise contract. Mr. Kolb replied that he believed the franchise would be canceled which would likely result in litigation. He said he would not be able to guess whether cable television service in Eugene would be terminated, but that he was confident other service providers would compete to provide such service. Mr. Farr moved, seconded by Mr. Tollenaar, that the Metropolitan Policy Committee conduct an inquiry into the qualifications of AT&T as a potential controlling party of TCI of Oregon. Mr. Farr stated that the requirement for approval of the merger of TCI and AT&T to continue an existing cable television franchise put the City in a powerful negotiating position. He said he believed TCI had given good service through the years and that he hoped negotiations related to the merger were entered into with that understanding. Ms. Nathanson noted that councilors had received copies of a customer survey of cable service in Eugene and that it showed areas where improvement of services was desired. She said she would support the motion because of the possibility that discussions related to approval of the merger could deal with how to address such concerns. Mayor Torrey asked if analyses of the actions of other cities with cable television service provided by TCI were being made. Mr. Kolb replied that all cities served by TCI had only received notification of the need for approval of the merger early in September, but that contacts made through an Oregon League of Cities group of communication directors indicated that most are pursuing an inquiry. Ms. Taylor asked if cable television access issues would be involved in the proposed inquiry. Mr. Kolb replied that the inquiry would not include all issues considered in a franchise renewal MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 28, 1998 Page 3 7:30 p.m.