Cable Advisory Council
of Charter Communications

NOTES

Public Regular Meeting – Tuesday, July 8, 2003
Newtown, Connecticut

There was a regular meeting of the Cable Advisory Council called to order at 7:40 p.m. July 8, 2003 by Chairperson, John Sabo at the Charter Communications facility, Newtown, Connecticut.

ATTENDEES:
John Bell, Jill Zaloski (arrived late), John Danscuk, William Fredrickson, and John Sabo, Chairperson. For Charter: Dick Elwell and GregVan Antwerp.

As there was not a quorum, this meeting will not be deemed an official meeting. These notes are for purposes of updating the membership on items discussed informally on July 8, 2003.

PUBLIC INPUT:
No public present.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
A motion was made by W. Fredrickson to accept the minutes as submitted. The motion was seconded by John Danscuk and carried unanimously. (As there was not a quorum, this item should be voted on at the next regular meeting.)

TREASURER'S REPORT:
J. Zaloski, was not present at this time and, although she arrived later, indicated that she did not have the report with her as she had not anticipated being able to attend the meeting (due to teaching a class.) She will provide the report at the next regular meeting along with the then current report.

COMMUNICATIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE:
J. Sabo indicated the legal notice required to be published in the various areas where Charter does business had been so published, and he read the notice as it was printed in Voices. He noted that this notice listed names of towns serviced by Charter and their council representatives, noting many vacant slots.

J. Bell discussed the newsletter Kent sends out, indicating that there is an advisory council and who the local representative(s) are and how to contact them.

J. Sabo indicated two bills had been received from Earthlink for hosting the web site. They were given to J. Zaloski for payment.

J. Sabo indicated a letter was received regarding adding FX, which has been an ongoing request, and the letter was given to D. Elwell along with a payment of a Charter bill, which was obviously intended for Charter but sent to the Council’s Post Office box.

J. Bell asked if a copy of the log of correspondence given to Charter can be given to the council to ensure that matters turned over to Charter for response have been handled in a timely manner. D. Elwell indicated he could furnish the council with a copy of the log. J. Bell suggested town representatives who receive calls and or correspondence regarding problems and/or issues should refer those individuals and/or correspondence to D. Elwell immediately so the matters can be handled in a timely manner. The town representative should keep a record of having forwarded items to D. Elwell and follow up on status at next meeting.

OLD BUSINESS:
Changes to By-laws – Due to lack of a quorum, this item is tabled until the next meeting.

Membership Report – J. Sabo indicated that he had received only one response to the letters J. Eslami had sent out asking for selectman and school boards to appoint persons to open positions. J. Bell suggested that something needs to be done to generate interest in the council. He suggested that something should be written up indicating what the council did. J. Zaloski suggested this would be a good question to answer in the “FAQ” part of the web site.

Scholarship Committee Report – J. Sabo indicated feedback on the James Diaz Memorial Award/Video Festival was favorable and he indicated it would likely be an annual event.

Web Site – J. Sabo indicated the web site is now up and running. He discussed the fact that he has two students working on the web site, and they will continue to maintain it on a regular basis. He suggested that D. Elwell answer the question of why the FX channel isn’t being offered under the “FAQ” section of the web site.

Consolidation of Western and Northwestern Franchise Areas – J. Sabo briefly reviewed the possibility of telephone/teleconference meetings with members from the New Hartford area. D. Elwell indicated a letter had been sent to selectmen in the Northwestern Franchise area asking that members be appointed.

NEW BUSINESS:
Nominations for Office of Membership Chair – J. Sabo had previously indicated that since J. Eslami had submitted her resignation, an opening exists for the position of membership chairperson. Nominations were to remain open and an election was to be held at the July 8, 2003 meeting. This item was tabled due to lack of a quorum.

CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS REPORT:
D. Elwell distributed Charter’s 2nd Quarter Newsletter. D. Elwell also discussed the various awards received by Charter, indicating Community Access won 1/3 of the awards. D. Elwell discussed the New Milford Studio and indicated that a search of the area for an alternative to the existing location was unsuccessful. He further indicated the studio usage was such that it did not justify keeping the New Milford location open. Charter is looking to the DPUC for a favorable decision to close that studio and payment office.

G. Van Antwerp distributed the most recent Community Vision 21 Newsletter and public access report. He also discussed the internship program.

ADJOURNMENT:
A motion was made by W. Fredrickson to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 p.m. The motion was seconded by J. Danscuk and carried unanimously.

Respectfully submitted by: Lorna J. Szalay, Recording Secretary

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, September 9, 2003 at Charter Communications offices in Newtown, 7:30 p.m.

©2003 Cable Advisory Council
Designed by Ben Haase
PC Wizard