TEMPLE – Selectmen in four towns are trying to stop a New Hampshire cable television company from shutting down its service in less than two weeks. Opponents of the shut down say the service is the only option available in their area.
Selectman Kathleen Lynch of Temple, is asking Argent Communications LLC subscribers to “not jump ship yet,” because she hopes to at least stall a shut down of TV cable service until another solution can be found. Argent of Bristol, N.H., is set to shut down service to the towns of Chesterville, New Sharon, Temple and Weld on Oct. 15. Lynch, along with selectmen Maynard Webster of New Sharon and Nancy Stowell of Weld, are asking for help from the state with the matter.
Argent’s office manager, Shawn Bauer said today they are ending service to about 200 subscribers to four towns in Franklin County due to “lack of enough subscribers,” she said. The company already discontinued service to Stockholm and Searsmont for the same reason. They will continue service to Rangeley, which will be the only remaining Maine town it serves, because there are enough customers in that area to warrant continuing service.
“We tried to reach out to other cable TV companies such as Beeline to provide service but they said no,” Bauer said. Lynch said other satellite TV service companies such as DISH and Directv aren’t always available due to a home’s location.
In a letter protesting the shut down to the consumer mediation specialists at the Attorney General’s Office, Lynch argued there is a six-month notice of shut down required and that they received word only last week of the Oct. 15 cut off date. She also added that in three towns, Temple, New Sharon and Weld property taxes on Argent’s cable equipment remains unpaid.
A succession of cable companies beginning with Grassroots Cable in the 1970s, was followed by Adelphia, Time Warner, Windjammer and Argent have provided service in Temple over the years. Although a contract used to be signed by selectmen, no such contract exists with Argent, “But we believe that should not affect this situation,” Lynch wrote.
Selectmen contacted the offices of Sen. Olympia Snowe and Sen. Susan Collins who referred her back to the attorney general’s office.
On Friday the AG’s office responded to Lynch with they would not be able to assist her in this matter,” and suggested she contact the Public Advocates Office and/or the Public Utilities Commission to ask for help. A spokeswoman with the PUC said today TV cable service is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission and not by the state.
Bauer said she was told that there is no six-month notification requirement. Last week Lynch said some of Argent’s digital broadcast equipment was removed from the antenna site in Temple.
“While we realize that no one can be forced to do business, we believe we deserve the time to develop alternative plans for service. This abrupt and unprecedented action by Argent is dismaying, to say the least. We need a stay or a delay in the execution of their plans to cease service and remove equipment and wires so that another company may possibly be able to take over Argent’s responsibilities,” Lynch said in her letter to the AG’s Office.
Maybe instead of cutting service, they should try and upgrade their level of service and attract more customers. I know in New Sharon when I moved in to my current location 12 years ago, I was told that broadband cable would be added within 2 years, never happened. My Cable bill kept going up with no added services. I use Dishnetwork now and would never go back unless they offered broadband.
I agree. Cable companies have to change with the times in order to attract and maintain customers. The answer for them is broadband Internet service. I live in Chesterville and would sign up today (as would many of my neighbors) if it were offered but it is not. I contacted Argent long ago about this to no avail.
Meanwhile less than 2 miles from me in Farmington Falls Beeline customers have broadband. :|
I also talked to Beeline about expanding into Chesterville but was met with the same response as above; NO.
While I’m sure there’s more to it than flipping a switch it baffles me how companies have potential customers willing and eager to start giving them money and they refuse!
Why?
We are being asked to “not jump ship yet.” That’s very interesting. Where have the selectmen been the last few years when the service has gotten worse and worse and we have been handed over from one bad company to another? This action is too little too late, sorry.
usually they line up so they can take your money
I am lucky to be within a dish network area in Chesterville but I am frustrated with the internet.
I have been using dial up since 1997 and I connect at 4.8K to 28.8k and it is insanely slow with constent connection drop outs.
I dont understand why Chesterville or some of the other towns do not have cable access yet and it only frustrates me more knowing that all towns around Chesterville have it and I am just out of reach.
Fairpoint was putting up new lines back in september but has stopped recently and I have yet to see any progress on it.
Hopefully Fairpoint finishes the 2010 zones before the end of this year…
Chesterville, Temple,Weld,New Sharon towns should think about setting up a meeting with connectme authority to let them know that we want cable tv or Internet access.
Users that live in Chesterville I urge you to email Susan Collins & Olympia Snowe and tell them about your dial up Internet and how slow it is and tell them that you want high speed internet
I also would like Chesterville residents to email connectme authority on the lack of broadband, the more people that email and call the sooner we get a response.
Perhaps we can set a meeting up with connectme to get Bee-line or Fairpoint to bring high speed Internet here.
To begin to evaluate the need for broadband development projects in
unserved areas of Maine, we need consumers and potential providers to
contact the Authority:
•If you live in a municipality without a broadband service provider (with
no access or access only to dial-up or satellite service), please email
Connect.ME@maine.gov with your location and community information.
•If you are a broadband service provider (wire or wireless), please email
Connect.ME@maine.gov with areas you may be interested in providing
service.