HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.C. Cable Franchise Renewal Update4ROSEMOUNTEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CITY COUNCIL
City Council Work Session: May 15, 2013
AGENDA ITEM: Cable Franchise Renewal Update
AGENDA SECTION:
Discussion
PREPARED BY: Emmy Foster, Assistant City
AGENDA NO.
Administrator
ATTACHMENTS: Cable Franchise Renewal Process
APPROVED BY:
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion
BACKGROUND
The City of Rosemount is a part of a Joint Cable Commission with the cities of Apple Valley and
Farmington. The existing joint powers agreement establishing the Cable Commission gives the Commission
authority to negotiate jointly for the franchise renewals on the behalf of the member cities.
This evening, Attorney Bob Vose from Kennedy & Graven will be present to give an update to the cable
franchise renewal process.
A Needs Ascertainment Related to Cable Franchise Renewal report is attached for your information. The
foundation of the City's requests of the franchise ordinance should be documented in a needs assessment.
This assessment serves as the City's legal foundation if the collaborative franchise renewal process were to
stall and the formal renewal process were to be employed. The Cable Commission jointly contracted for a
needs assessment with Holly Hansen Consulting. The assessment was conducted in 2012 and finalized in
2013. No formal action needs to be taken to receive this report.
t t • t
Apple Valley, Farmington, Rosemount
Cable Commission
Needs Ascertainment Related to
Cable Franchise Renewal
January 14, 2013
Holly Hansen Consulting
HollyMHansen @comcast.net
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Background and Process
The cities of Apple Valley, Farmington, and Rosemount have individually granted identical
franchises to Charter Communications, which expire in mid 2014. The cities created a Joint
Powers Commission ( AFRCC) to serve as an advisory body for the administration of the cable
system, operations of community television, and telecommunications activities and issues. In
accordance with its responsibilities the AFRCC is preparing for franchise renewal and retained
Holly Hansen Consulting to conduct a Needs Ascertainment that included a review of the
franchise, PEG equipment and operations, focus groups and interviews, and a non - scientific
public survey.
Charter Communications is presently engaged in upgrading its system to an all- digital cable
subscriber network. The PEG Channels (Public, Educational, and Governmental) are analog and
the franchise requires five PEG channels of 6 MHz. each. This is important to note as Standard
Digital (SD) Channels require less spectrum than analog channels, and with the digital
conversion, Charter will be able to fit 8 — 10 SD channels in the space of a single (6 MHz.)
analog channel. Although the current franchise designates five 6 MHz channels for PEG access
and community programming, only four PEG Channels are active:
• Channel 10 ISD 9192 in Farmington
ISD #196 in Apple Valley and Rosemount
• Channel 12 Community Access Bulletin Board
• Channel 16 Cities of Apple Valley and Farmington
• Channe122 City of Rosemount, Dakota County programming
A review of the franchise documents and supporting materials revealed that the cities do not
appear to have received FCC reports from Charter, as required by the current franchise. This
requirement is under the "Design" section of the franchise and would pertain to reports such as
Proof of Performance, signal leakage reports, and reports of other tests that may have been made
and filed with the FCC.
A review of the three city halls' council chambers and control room equipment was conducted as
part of the project. The findings were that the equipment at the cities was 10 — 12 years old and
some of it was failing. As a result, the AFRCC decided to move ahead with replacing the
equipment and has retained a vendor to provide a design and recommendations for the equipment
used to cablecast city meetings. Ms. Hansen also reviewed the equipment used in government
productions and playback for channels 12, 16, and 22 as well as council meetings from each city
and copies of government programming such as Valley Beat, Hook and Ladder and community
event coverage. Discussions were held with AFRCC staff regarding productions, equipment
resources, and priorities for franchise renewal.
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Focus Groups and interviews were conducted by Ms. Hansen with the AFRCC Commissioners,
AFRCC staff, representatives from each of the cities, representatives from school districts #192
and #196, and the Apple Valley Telecommunications Advisory Committee.
Technology continues to change and improve and it can be expensive to replace all the
components of a system to make it fully integrated. The equipment in use by the AFRCC cities
and government programming is a combination of analog and digital, which does not provide
optimum quality (regardless of the equipment age issue) and creates a cumbersome workflow.
HD (High Definition) is the digital standard that is becoming more prevalent and will continue to
expand over the next franchise term. Given the equipment that the AFRCC and its cities have in
place, it makes the most sense from an economic and technical viewpoint to skip the SD
(Standard Digital) phase and transition from analog to High Definition in the entire workflow
process. Due to computer technology that is central to the operation of today's video production
equipment, replacement schedules run 5 -7 years; some equipment will therefore need to be
replaced more than once during a ten year franchise period.
Public Web Survey
A public survey was conducted via the website of each of the three cities. The survey was
available for approximately one month and although it is not scientific, it gave the public an
opportunity to voice their opinions about Charter Communications and local programming.
Highlights from the survey include the following findings.
Local Programming
■ 75% of respondents were somewhat to very interested in watching local programs.
■ 88% of respondents had watched a local program within the past 6 months.
■ Council meetings were the most frequently watched, followed by ISD #196 programs,
and Planning Commission meetings.
■ Shows the public would like to see include high school sports, community events, and
local history as the top three choices.
Charter Communications
• The top three services taken are: Internet, regular cable service, and HD cable service.
• More people were dissatisfied with Charter's customer service than were satisfied.
• Only 27% of respondents who called Charter with a problem got it resolved with one
phone call.
• Top three reasons people don't subscribe to Charter: 1) too expensive, 2) poor customer
service, and 3) they subscribe to satellite TV.
• Charter's local office received higher marks and there were more satisfied respondents
than dissatisfied.
• Open -ended comments were coded into categories, the top three comment types were:
1) Charter is too expensive, 2) people want competition from another provider, and 3)
Charter has poor customer service.
ii
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Key Needs and Interests /Recommendations
PEG Channels and Support
■ Maintain the PEG channels in their existing locations (10, 12, 16, and 22).
■ Maintain the requirement for five channels for PEG access and community programming.
■ Simulcast PEG channels in SD and HD to ensure that subscribers who have HD technology
can view PEG programming in the same format.
■ Provide PEG programming in a Video on Demand format, consistent with the quality and
usability of Charter's other offerings of On Demand programming.
■ Ensure that the PEG fee is adequate to support PEG needs, including the equipment
upgrade and replacement needs over the term of a renewed franchise.
■ Preserve the ability of the AFRCC to increase the PEG fee throughout the term of the
franchise to ensure PEG funding keeps pace with inflation.
Other Franchise Provisions
■ Maintain many of the provisions of the current franchise including but not limited to
franchise fees, insurance, bonds, and letter of credit.
■ Maintain Grantor's enforcement ability.
■ Maintain the existing requirement for emergency message override of the system to advise
and protect citizens.
■ Maintain requirements regarding customer service.
■ Maintain reporting requirements of Grantee including but not limited to financial reports,
technical reports, and customer service- related reports.
■ Maintain Charter's local office for the convenience and accessibility of local residents.
■ Provide and maintain a high quality, reliable, up -to -date cable system.
■ Continue to provide drops and complimentary service to existing governmental and
educational facilities. Provide future drops and complimentary cable service under the
same terms and conditions throughout the term of a renewed franchise as facilities are built
or re- located.
iii
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Document and Media Review
Focus Groups and Interviews
AFRCC Programming
Equipment Needs
Drops to Public Facilities
Web Survey
Needs and Interests /Recommendations
Attachment A
Web Survey Results
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
1
2
3
11
13
19
22
24
26
1V
INTRODUCTION
Project Description
The cable franchises between Charter Communications (Grantee) and the individual cities of
Apple Valley, Farmington and Rosemount will expire in mid 2014. To prepare for franchise
renewal, the AFRCC (Apple Valley, Farmington, and Rosemount Cable Commission) retained
Holly Hansen Consulting (Consultant) to perform a needs ascertainment. The scope of work to
be performed by the Consultant included the following tasks:
■ Review franchise and PEG documents
• Review PEG programming media
• Review the three city halls facilities and equipment
• Review government production and playback equipment
• Interview AFRCC to identify key franchise issues
• Interview AFRCC staff
• Conduct three focus groups
• Research equipment trends and costs
• Analyze and format data
• Prepare non - scientific public web survey, analyze and format results
• Prepare written report with findings and recommendations
• Present report to AFRCC
Process Evolution
In addition to the tasks noted above, during the course of conducting this study, two actions took
place that had an impact on the project and development of recommendations for this report.
One action was the decision of the AFRCC to pursue the upgrade of the equipment at each of the
city halls and enter into a contract with Alpha Video to consult and design systems for the three
cities. This equipment was in need of replacement; it was old, had reliability problems, and the
video was of poor quality at all three locations. Since this issue is being addressed in detail by
Alpha Video, this report will provide an overall estimate of costs associated with the city hall
upgrades.
The second action was Charter's announcement that it is converting to an all- digital format now.
This affects the timing of recommendations regarding technical upgrades needed in AFRCC
production, playback, and the connections from each of the three cities to Charter's headend.
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
DOCUMENT AND MEDIA REVIEW
Documents Reviewed
• Franchise Agreements for Apple Valley, Farmington, and Rosemount
• Charter Transfer Resolution July 2009: Reorganization under U.S. Bankruptcy Court
• Franchise Fee Settlement Agreement 2009
• Charter Renewal Notification Letter: November 2011
• AFRCC Budget ■ Data from ISD 9192
• Programming Policies ■ Data from ISD 9196
• Joint Powers Agreement 1999 ■ Programming Statistics
Findings
Overall, the franchise does not appear to need major changes. Areas to update include those
related to PEG and technology. There are very few subscriber complaints filed with the AFRCC.
Section C2 -6 (a) (1) requires Grantee to dedicate five 6 MHz channels for PEG access and
community programming; only four PEG Channels are active (10, 12, 16 and 22).
Section C2 -4 (g) (Design Provisions) of the Franchise requires Grantee to file results of any test
required by the FCC to be filed with the city or its designee within ten days of the conduct of
such test. This would include reports such as the twice annual Proof of Performance test and the
CLI (Cumulative Leakage Index) Test. It does not appear that Charter has filed copies of FCC
reports with the AFRCC or its member cities.
The 2009 Franchise Fee Settlement Agreement includes certain exclusions to Gross Revenues
that should be incorporated into a renewal franchise document.
A city review regarding the amounts required for insurance, bonds, subcontractors, and the Letter
of Credit would be useful in determining whether the amounts listed in the existing franchise are
sufficient for an anticipated ten year renewal franchise.
Media Reviewed
Excerpts from city council meetings from Apple Valley, Farmington, and Rosemount were
viewed on DVD copies. Excerpts from Valley Beat, Hook and Ladder, Beyond the Yellow
Ribbon, Candidate Forums, State of the City addresses, and assorted PSAs and promos were also
viewed. The video from the city hall equipment was grainy and of poor quality, although other
production values were good. The poor video quality is due primarily to the age of the
equipment. The video quality of other programs produced by AFRCC staff was significantly
better.
N
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
FOCUS GROUPS AND INTERVIEWS
Three focus groups were conducted for the project. A Government Focus Group consisted of
city staff from the AFRCC cities, an Educational Focus Group was attended by representatives
from ISD 4192 and ISD 9 196, and the third group was held with the Apple Valley
Telecommunications Advisory Committee (AVTAC). Two interviews were also conducted:
one with AFRCC video staff, and a second interview with the AFRCC directors.
Government Focus Group
City departments represented in this group included Parks and Recreation, and Police and Fire
Chiefs from all three cities. A variety of media is used to communicate with the public,
including city web sites, e-mail, local newspapers, direct mail, newsletters, telephone messages,
banners, sign boards, the cable channels' bulletin boards, Valley Beat and Hook and Ladder.
The trend for the cities has been to use traditional print media such as the local newspaper less
frequently, and to use electronic -based communications, including city web sites and video,
more often. It is important to provide information to the public in a variety of forms as one
participant noted: "Different generations get information in different ways." Another participant
stated that "You have to bridge all gaps to communicate."
Types of Programs Would Like to Watch
• Information about the city: what's available, where things are located
• Information about city departments and functions (what we do, why we do it)
• Safety messages: PSAs, short programs
• Street closings, road work updates
• Recycling
• Citizen Police Academy
• Show about the cities (e.g. video magazine)
Barriers to producing programs and issues facing the cities included: need more expertise and
time, viewership is unknown, don't know how programs are marketed, city tax money is tight —
have to do more with less, and competition for viewer attention.
There was an interest in having the PEG channels available in HD and PEG programming
available in a Video on Demand (VOD) basis as well. One person commented that they "liked
the convenience of Video on Demand and watching when I want to watch." Others commented
that VOD would be "helpful" and "Great, but not if it costs the city."
Emergency provisions in the existing franchise was also discussed and seen as important to keep
in a renewal franchise. Section C2 -3 (h) of the existing franchise states: `In the case of any
emergency or disaster, the grantee shall, upon request of the city, make available its facilities to
city during the period of emergency or disaster. "
3
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
AVTAC Focus Group
The Apple Valley Telecommunications Advisory Committee (AVTAC) focus group was
attended by five members who are long -time members and residents of Apple Valley, and the
City staff liaison. This is the third franchise renewal these advisors have been part of, except for
one member for whom this is his second franchise renewal. The opinions of this group were
sought to augment public input from the web survey, and to incorporate a long -term view and
experience of cable franchising in the Apple Valley area. Observations by committee members
about Charter Communications included:
Working Well
• There are fewer complaints in the quarterly logs than there used to be.
• Drop burials are better; not as bad as they used to be (doesn't take as long).
• The local office and local techs are helpful.
Needs Improvement
• There is not much presence /participation from Charter (at meetings).
• There are pixelation problems in the video: could vary by parts of the network.
• The 8884 (call center) does not admit to company having a technical problem.
• Customer service was better when you could call the local office.
• Age of end -user equipment is a problem; Charter needs a replacement program.
• Charter should give notice when promo rates are about to expire.
PEG and Prnrammin2
• Programming is good to get message out (Valley Beat, Hook and Ladder).
• Live city council and planning commission meetings are high quality.
• Quality has improved the last 5 -6 years.
• Would like to have HD (PEG) channels.
• Explore TV Guide possibilities.
• Would like VOD "a lot," "awesome," "a game changer."
• PEG fee should be increased every few years.
• PEG fee increase of $0.25 would be "almost painless."
• PEG fee is a user fee, not a tax.
We don't hear from the public on Public Access; used to, but not any more.
Franchise Renewal
Keep PEG fee up with inflation.
Suggest PEG fee of $0.85 per subscriber.
■ Like HD for the city channel(s). Like VOD.
■ Keep 5t' channel.
■ 10 -12 year franchise.
■ Get fiber between Master Control and head end for HD, VOD, etc.
• Get HD equipment for 4 channels.
• Get more fiber into the system (closer to the home).
I
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Educational Focus Group
Background and Channels
The Educational Focus Group was attended by representatives from ISD #192, serving the
Farmington area, and ISD #196, serving Rosemount -Apple Valley - Eagan. Prior to the focus
group, both districts were sent questionnaires asking for information on funding, staffing,
programming, and equipment currently being used for video production and playback. These
questionnaires were collected at the focus group session.
In addition to the AFRCC cities, some ISD 4192 programming is shown on Channel 12 in
Charter's Lakeville system. This channel is shared with Lakeville's Public Access and ISD #192
is seeking its own channel in the Lakeville system to enable it to run a full program schedule and
live School Board meetings.
ISD #196 programs Channel 10 in Charter's Lakeville system and Channel 19 in Comcast's
Burnsville -Eagan system in addition to Channel 10 in the AFRCC system. A limited amount of
ISD 9196 programs are also shown on Channel 20 in Comcast's Inver Grove Heights (Northern
Dakota County) system. The two districts share Channel 10 in the AFRCC system; their signals
are narrow casted on a 24x7 basis to residents in their districts, which enables each district to
have full -time channel programming. There are no written agreements between the districts and
Charter Communications regarding how their playback signals are to be transmitted from their
master controls to the Charter head end, but these arrangements have been made over time and
are working. The schools in each district are connected via fiber networks.
District programs have won some awards over the past few years: ISD #192 won an Award of
Merit for Patriotic Day Pledge of Allegiance Tribute from the MN School Public Relations
Association in 2010. AV High School won a National Broadcast Pacemaker Award in 2012 and
seven (7) NATAS (National Association of Television Arts and Sciences). Eastview won two
(2) NATAS Awards.
Staffing, Funding and Equipment
The staff assigned to educational access is small in both districts: ISD 9192 has two stipend
positions that represent a .5 FTE and ISD #196 has a stipend position and staff that represent 1.0
FTE. Educational access is funded by the general fund in both districts.
Master control for ISD 9196 Channel 10 is located at Apple Valley High School; the signal is
analog and is transmitted over fiber to Charter's head end. A Leightronix video server, DVDs,
and mini -DV are playback formats, which are all Standard Definition (SD). The District
programs Channel 10 on a 24x7 basis. Master control for ISD #192 is located at Boeckman
Middle School; the signal is analog and sent over district -owned and Charter -owned fiber. ISD
#192 also programs its Channel 10 on a 24x7 basis and uses a Tightrope Media System
Cablecast server (SX4), which is Standard Definition. Production equipment is primarily
located at the school level and is a mixture of analog and Standard Definition (SD).
5
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Programming
Programs are produced by students and staff at both districts, are typical of educational access in
other areas and include: school board meetings, school concerts and plays, high school sports,
student news and magazine shows, and special events.
ISD #192 Prouammin2
PROGRAM
2010
2011
2012
School Board Meetings
24
28
24
Staff Programs (including Educational Matters
6
10
18
Tiger News HS
20
20
20
Midday Show with Charlie Weireke
187
187
10
TOTAL
50
58
72
ISD #196 Prouammin2
PROGRAM
2010
2011
2012
School Board Meetings (average)
18
18
18
Staff Programs (average)
2
2
2
Student/Community Ed. *(average)
167
167
167
TOTAL
187
187
187
ISD #196 Programming
Community
Education
20%
School Board
15%
High School
15%
Elementary
40%
Middle School
10%
6
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Working Well
ISD #192
• Channel 10 location.
• Convenience of playback automation.
• Integration of website and cable channel.
• Board meetings are popular.
• Elementary schools do daily newscasts.
• Fiber connection to all schools.
• Have own RF network and channel line up — send to all schools.
• Each school can originate a live program to Channel 10.
ISD #196
• Broad reach of cable (e.g. parents, retirees, students, etc.).
• Channel 10 location.
• Charter is mostly responsive when we have a technical problem.
• Channel commitment: all schools are on the channel.
• Fiber connections to all schools.
Needs Improvement
ISD #192
• Equipment in the buildings is old (S -VHS vintage).
• Have had a few audio problems with the channel.
• Don't want townships to freeload (Empire).
ISD #196
• Transmitter overheats
• Fairly good relationship with Charter, but takes awhile to troubleshoot problems.
• Had issue with Apple Valley- Rosemount and Farmington sections getting the wrong
Channel 10 feeds.
• Have had problems with audio bleed from other channels; has been better last 6 months.
• Not enough access to (video production) equipment.
• No Public Access
• No van
Franchise Renewal
• Maintain Channel.
• Remain on lowest tier of service.
• HD capability.
• VOD.
• Channel Guide listing to know what's on.
• Would like some benefit from PEG fee.
• Would like shared portable production resources (van).
7
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
AFRCC Interview
Process
This meeting began with a general discussion of what was "top of mind" for the Commission
when its members thought about franchise renewal. Following this discussion, several aspects of
the franchise were reviewed by the Consultant, including provisions regarding drops, PEG
channels and funding. Results from the staff interviews were shared with the Commission and a
focused discussion /goal setting process was facilitated by the Consultant.
The following issues were identified using a Goal Grid planning process. The issues below in
italics were those identified as being the most important. However, this was a short planning
process and additional priorities may be identified by the Commission and member cities during
the next year of the franchise renewal process. The Commission also noted that cost and staff
time need to be taken into account in making any changes.
AFRCC GOAL GRID
ACHIEVE
Money is the most important thing
HD PEG Channels
Equipment upgrades to city halls
10 -I5 year franchise
Video playback on Channel 12
Video on Demand for PEG
More local programming
More government programming
Closed captioning
PRESERVE
Franchise Fee
PEG Fee
Location of PEG Channels
Ability to increase PEG fee
PEG fee option for operations
Customer services/local office
AVOID
5 year franchise
Reduction of franchise fee
Restriction on use of PEG fees
Getting stuck with analog and SD channels
Getting stuck on Channel 99
ELIMINATE
Obsolete, non-functional equipment
Excessive staff time spent on repairs
Foreign CSR offices /call centers
(Note: Italicized items above are the higher priorities.)
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
AFRCC Staff Interview
The AFRCC has two full time staff who were interviewed by the Consultant regarding technical
issues, video production and playback capabilities, channel usage, and programming.
Discussions regarding Charter and priority issues for the upcoming franchise renewal were also
held. In addition to the staff interview, several conversations with staff took place throughout
the project both by telephone and in person. Staff provided documents, information and video
for review and tours of the three City Hall Council Chambers and equipment used to produce
city meetings
Working Well
• Have a high quality product; get compliments on meeting coverage.
• Meeting video staff are quick to get shots, follow the action.
• Have good production values on other programs (Valley Beat, Hook and Ladder).
Needs Improvement
• Don't have time, budget or personnel to do more programming.
• Equipment is getting old and malfunctioning.
• Need equipment upgrades (city halls and government production).
• Would like HD.
■ Picture is sometimes a little fuzzy.
A Goal Grid planning exercise was conducted with staff. The non - prioritized results are below.
AFRCC STAFF GOAL GRID
ACHIEVE
AVOID
HD equipment
Adversarial relationship w/ Charter
HD channels for all PEG
Uninformed City Councils
5t' channel, so each school district has own
Increased PEG fee
Upfront capital grants for city hall upgrades
PRESERVE
ELINHNATE
5t' PEG channel
Problems due to old equipment
Use PEG fee for operations
PEG channel locations
Protect cities, customers
Customer service standards
Letter of credit, bonds, abandonment, etc.
Emergency override provision
Reliable cable system
Good relationship with Charter
I
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
COMBINED GOAL GRIDS: AFRCC AND STAFF
ACHIEVE
AVOID
Commission:
Commission:
Money is the most important thing
5 year franchise
HD PEG Channels
Reduction of franchise fee
Equipment upgrades to city halls
Restriction on use of PEG fees
10 -I5 year franchise
Getting stuck with analog and SD channels
Video playback on Channel 12
Getting stuck on Channel 99
Video on Demand for PEG
More local programming
More government programming
Staff:
Staff:
HD equipment
Adversarial relationship w/ Charter
HD channels for all PEG
Uninformed City Councils
5t' channel, so each school district has own
Increased PEG fee
Upfront capital grants for city hall upgrades
PRESERVE
ELIMINATE
Commission:
Commission:
Franchise Fee
Obsolete, non-functional equipment
PEG Fee
Excessive staff time spent on repairs
Location of PEG Channels
Ability to increase PEG fee
Distant CSR offices /call centers that are not
PEG fee option for operations
equipped to solve many customer
Customer services/local office
complaints and CSRs who do not
communicate well in English.
Staff:
5t' PEG channel
Use PEG fee for operations
Staff:
PEG channel locations
Problems due to old equipment
Customer service standards
Letter of credit, bonds, abandonment, etc.
Emergency override provision
Reliable cable system
Good relationship with Charter
(Note: Italicized items above are the Commission's higher priorities.)
10
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
AFRCC PROGRAMMING
Channel Usage
The following channels are programmed by AFRCC:
• Channel 12 Community Access Bulletin Board
• Channel 16 Government Access: Apple Valley and Farmington
• Channe122 Government Access: Rosemount and Dakota County Board Meetings
PROGRAM
2011
2012
Apple Valley City Council
22
25
Apple Valley Planning Commission
16
16
Apple Valley Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee
5
4
Town Hall: Cedar Avenue
1
Apple Valley State of the City
1
1
Apple Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
1
2
Valley Beat *
6
6
Hook and Ladder
6
6
Candidate Forums
4
Farmington City Council
23
23
Farmington Planning Commission
11
11
Farmington State of the City
1
1
Rosemount City Council
24
24
Rosemount Planning Commission
12
13
Rosemount State of the City
1
1
Liquid Assets
1
Improved Water Maintenance
1
Public Service Announcements and Promos*
30
30
Dakota County Board Meetin s **
23
23
TOTAL
184
191
* Valley Beat has won a national LEVA Award (Law Enforcement Video Association) and an
award from NATOA (National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors).
** Dakota County Meetings and approximately 60% of PSAs are from outside sources.
11
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Community Organizations Served: Channel 12
American Cancer Society Grace Lutheran Church of Apple Valley
Apple Valley American Legion Post 91776 Hayes Community Center
Apple Valley Baptist Church Home In -Stead
Apple Valley Garden Club House of Hope Twin Cities
Apple Valley Toastmasters
Bible Bee.org
BNI Minnesota
Boy Scout Pack 295
Christian Heritage Academy
Dakota County Farmington Library
Dakota Electric Association
DARTS
Dunsmore Real Estate
Eastview Lacrosse Association
Faith Lutheran Church
Faith United Methodist Church
Farmington Boy Scout Troop #116
Farmington Business Association
Farmington Lutheran Church
Farmington Soccer Club
Gardening Matters
Lions International
MN Soybean Festival
MOMS Club of Apple Valley South
National Day of Prayer (South of the River)
Paideia Academy
Pickleball
Rambling River Center of Farmington
Relay for Life
Rosemount American Legion Post 965
Rosemount Cub Scout Troop # 270
Rosemount United Methodist Church
Rosemount VFW
Shepherd of the Valley Church
South Cross Community Church
South Metro ATV Club
The Rivers Senior Living
Trinity Campus of Farmington
12
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
EQUIPMENT NEEDS
City Halls
Due to aging equipment and ongoing problems at the three city halls, the AFRCC has decided to
implement the replacement /upgrade process for the equipment used to cablecast city meetings.
The Commission has retained Alpha Video to recommend and design systems for the council
chambers and control rooms at Apple Valley, Farmington, and Rosemount City Halls. Since this
effort is already underway, it is not necessary for this report to address equipment needs in detail
regarding the equipment used for the cablecasting of city meetings. General cost estimates are
provided for the City Hall upgrades based on the Consultant's experience, system size, and
discussion of usage and needs with AFRCC staff. The Council Chamber cameras, control room,
and transmission equipment at each city hall should be upgraded to a HD format to ensure it
remains up -to -date for as long as possible. The cost estimate for the Apple Valley Council
Chambers is slightly higher than Farmington and Rosemount due to the configuration of its
chambers and equipment needs. In addition to the initial cost of upgrading the city halls,
equipment replacements will need to be made over the term of a renewed franchise.
The transmission equipment (encoders and decoders) would need to be specified by Charter to
ensure the equipment is appropriate for integration into the Charter cable system. It is
recommended that the encoders /decoders be HD capable to provide the AFRCC with the
maximum amount of flexibility with respect to the channel carriage on the cable system. For
example, if the PEG signal is HD, Charter can carry it as a HD channel on the cable system and
also convert it to a SD channel for simulcasting.
CITY HALL INITIAL EQUIPMENT UPGRADES
Government Production
Current Equipment
The AFRCC staff uses a combination of analog and SD equipment to record, edit, and playback
programming on the Government Channels. The field equipment was last updated ca. 2006 and
uses Mini -DV, DVD, and VHS formats for recording. Editing is performed in a non - linear
format using Final Cut Pro and a Photo Shop suite. One editing computer is new (2012) and the
other is ca. 2006. The playback system uses a video server (Tightrope SX4) that has SD and
13
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
APPLE VALLEY
FARMINGTON
ROSEMOUNT
City Equipment U rade
$175,000 - 190,000
$135,000 - 160,000
$135,000 - $160,000
HD encoder and decoder
5,000
5,000
5,000
TOTAL
$180,000 - 195,000
$140,000 — 165,000
$140,000 — 165,000
Government Production
Current Equipment
The AFRCC staff uses a combination of analog and SD equipment to record, edit, and playback
programming on the Government Channels. The field equipment was last updated ca. 2006 and
uses Mini -DV, DVD, and VHS formats for recording. Editing is performed in a non - linear
format using Final Cut Pro and a Photo Shop suite. One editing computer is new (2012) and the
other is ca. 2006. The playback system uses a video server (Tightrope SX4) that has SD and
13
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
BNC (analog) outputs. Bulletin Board messages are generated using the Tightrope CG systems
for Government Channels 16 and 22 and Power Point is used for Community Channel 12.
The Apple Valley Police Department has a studio area that the AFRCC uses to record parts of
Valley Beat. The field cameras are used with "studio in a box" equipment that includes a
switcher, camera and preview /program monitors, and an audio mixer Mini -DV and DV recorders
that are rack - mounted in Anvil cases. The "studio in a box" equipment is used for remote
productions such as candidate forums and events in addition to Valley Beat. Other programs are
produced EFP -style (Electronic Field Production) using one or two isolated cameras whose
footage is combined in the editing process. Graphics for both types of productions are added
during the editing process.
The equipment that is currently used to produce these programs is a combination of analog
recording, digital non - linear editing, digital and analog playback, and analog transmission. The
conversions between analog and digital needed to perform different function in the production
process requires real -time converting and rendering of video, which adds to the staff time it takes
to produce a program. Converting digital playback files to an analog format for transmission to
the Charter head end adversely affects the technical quality of the program.
<1
Playback Rack: Ch. 12, 16, & 22 Master Control Apple Valley
14
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Equipment Trends
Digital formats and tapeless formats have been the direction many production operations have
been taking over the past several years. The costs for equipment have been going down while
the quality and capabilities of equipment have improved significantly. HD is more widely
available via cable and satellite systems, newer television sets are HD capable and viewers are
demanding more HD programming. SD (standard definition) as a production format is being
replaced by HD, and when considering equipment replacements and upgrades, it makes
economic sense to forgo the SD step and transition into HD production capability. Even if the
HD channel capability is not immediately available, HD production and transmission generate
the highest quality product that can be down - converted to SD and analog. The end result to a
viewer is a higher technical quality program than one produced in analog or SD and then up-
converted to HD. As noted previously, Charter is in the process of converting the cable system
serving the AFRCC cities, and analog signals will no longer be sent to viewers when the
conversion is completed, although viewers can down - convert the digital signals to analog for
viewing on older television sets.
Another aspect about newer technology is that much of the technology used in various pieces of
video production equipment is computer based and can have a shorter life span than some of the
old analog equipment. This means that equipment may need to be replaced on a schedule that is
more similar to the replacement schedule used for computers. A conservative estimate would be
that equipment will need to be replaced every 5 -7 years. Depending on the current status and
when existing equipment is replaced, it may need to be replaced once or twice during a new
franchise term.
15
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Government Equipment Needs
DESCRIPTION
AMOUNT
REPLACE ONCE
Field Equipment
HD camera with studio accessories (3 units)
$30,000
$30,000
HD field monitor (3 )
2,400
2,400
Camera accessories
3,000
3,000
Taxes, shipping, warranties
10,000
10,000
Total Field Equipment
$45,400
$45,400
Studio in a Box
Studio accessories for cameras 3 sets
$6,000
$6,000
HD production switcher
12,000
12,000
HD monitors or multi- viewer
3,000
3,000
Audio mixer
1,000
1,000
Recording & backup recording
6,000
6,000
Rack case w/ casters 2
1,600
1,600
Taxes, shipping and warranties
5,920
5,920
Total Studio in a Box
$35,520
$35,520
Accessories
Microphones (lavalieres, hand held, shotgun)
$5,000
$5,000
Lighting w/ cases
5,000
5,000
Tripods 3) w/ cases, 1 dolly
2,000
2,000
Cables, cases, headphones, memory cards, misc.
5,000
5,000
Taxes, shipping and warranties
3,400
3,400
Total Accessories
$20,400
$20,400
Edit
Edit station hardware & software 2
$10,000
$10,000
HD Monitors (2)
2,400
2,400
Backup/video server/storage 2
4,000
4,000
Taxes, shipping, warranties
3,280
3,280
Total Edit
$19,680
$19,680
Playback and Dubbin 3 channels
Transmission equipment for HD signal (3 channels)
$15,000
$15,000
Tightrope SX2 HD video server, cablecast bundle 2)
60,000
60,000
Cablecast Pro server /controller
8,000
8,000
Carousel CG310 (3 units)
13,500
13,500
HD monitors (each channel outbound & incoming = 6)
7,200
7,200
Cables, HD routing switcher, connectors, etc.
8,000
8,000
DVD duplicator
2,500
2,500
Blu -ray DVD players 8 (playback backup system)
4,000
4,000
Taxes, shipping, warranties, installation
16,800
16,800
Total Playback and Dubbing
$135,000
$135,000
E
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Educational Access
Channels and Equipment
As previously noted, ISD #192 and ISD #196 both cablecast programming from their school
districts on Channel 10: ISD #192 in Farmington and ISD #196 in Apple Valley and
Rosemount. Both districts like the Channel 10 position and did not express an interest in
changing the current arrangement.
The districts have a variety of analog, SD, and some HD equipment which is primarily located at
the school level in both districts. Funding for equipment purchases is provided by the general
fund of each district. At the focus group, representatives from both districts indicated an interest
in having access to some shared equipment that could be used for staff - facilitated productions,
including high school sports. Since both ISD #192 and ISD #196 cablecast programming in
other franchise areas in addition to the AFRCC cities, there are possibilities for funding to come
from these communities, the AFRCC and the general fund for each district. If such a joint effort
were to be undertaken, it would require an entity to organize it, develop guidelines, and manage
the use and care of any shared equipment. Although such an undertaking is beyond the scope of
this project, it is mentioned here to bring it to the awareness of the AFRCC in case it would like
to follow up on such an initiative. An amount for a shared equipment grant is listed below for
the AFRCC to accept, reject, or alter based on its policies and priorities.
Cost estimates to upgrade the encoders /decoders at each of the districts to HD is listed below.
The HD format is suggested because each of the districts has some HD- capable equipment and
will likely continue to make HD equipment purchases in a new franchise term. Transmitting
programming in a HD format enable the signal to be re- transmitted in HD when HD channels are
available on the Charter system, and the signal can also be converted to a SD standard.
Transmitting in a HD format will ensure the highest quality and will be most cost - effective for
the districts as they will not have to convert from the present analog to SD and then make a later
transition to HD transmitting.
Educational Access Equipment Needs
DESCRIPTION
AMOUNT
REPLACE
ISD 9192 SD encoder /decoder
$5,000
$5,000
ISD 4196 SD encoder /decoder
5,000
5,000
Shared equipment rant
10,000
10,000
TOTAL
$20,000
$20,000
17
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Summary of Capital Equipment Needs
The following table represents initial capital costs for upgrading equipment for the AFRCC, its
member cities, and ISD 9192 and ISD 4196. Costs listed in the "Replacement" column indicate
estimated costs for replacing equipment a second time during a ten year franchise. It is estimated
that existing equipment will be replaced during the first 3 -4 years of the franchise, that life spans
of computer -based equipment are 5 -7 years, and that some equipment will need to be replaced a
second time during a ten year franchise term.
DESCRIPTION
INITIAL UPGRADE
REPLACE
TOTALS: 10 YEARS
Apple Valley City Hall
$180,000 - $195,000
$97,500
Farmington City Hall
140,000 - 165,000
82,500
Rosemount City Hall
140,000 - 165,000
82,500
TOTAL CITIES
$460,000 - $ 525,000
$262,500
$722,500 - $787,500
AFRCC Field Equipment
45,400
45,400
AFRCC Studio in a Box
35,200
35,200
AFRCC Accessories
20,400
15,000
AFRCC Edit
19,680
19,680
AFRCC Playback
135,000
135,000
TOTAL AFRCC
$255,680
$250,280
$505,960
ISD 9192 & ISD 9196
20,000
20,000
TOTAL EDUCATION
$20,000
$20,000
$40,000
TOTAL EQUIPMENT
$735,680 - $800,680
$532,780
$1,268,460 - $1,333,460
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
DROPS TO PUBLIC FACILITIES
Apple Valley Government Facilities
Municipal Center/City Hall
7100 — 147th Street West
Aquatic Center*
14421 Johnny Cake Ridge Road
Central Maintenance Facility
6442 West 140 Street
Fire Station 1
15000 Hayes Road
Fire Station 3
14195 Essex Avenue
Fire Station 2
13995 Galaxie Avenue
Hayes Community Center
14603 Hayes Road
Hayes Senior Center
14601 Hayes Road
Ice Arena (Hayes Park
14595 Hayes Road
Ice Arena (High School
14452 Hayes Road
Liquor Store #1 *
7525 West 1481 Street
Liquor Store 92*
14261 Essex Avenue
Liquor Store #3
5470 West 157th Street
Police Department
7100 — 147 Street West
Redwood Community
311 County Road 42
Teen Center
14255 Johnny Cake Ridge Road
Valle wood Golf Course
4851 West 125th Street
*If landlord permits and if economically feasible
Apple Valley Schools: ISD #196
Apple Valley High School
14450 Hayes Road
Cedar Park Elementary
7500 Whitney Drive
Cedar Valley Learning Center **
141420 Glenda Drive
Dakota Ride
4629 — 14e Street
Diamond Path Elementary
14455 Diamond Path
District Office
14445 Diamond Path
Eastview High School
6200 — 140t Street
Falcon Ridge Middle School
12900 Johnny Cake Ridge Road
Greenleaf Elementary
13333 Galaxie Avenue
Highland Elementary
14001 Pilot Knob road
School of Environmental Studies*
12155 Johnny Cake Ridge Road
Scott Highlands Middle School
14011 Pilot Knob Road
Southview Elementary
1025 Whitney Drive
Tranisition Plus /Pathwa /ALC
5840 — 149h Street West
Valley Middle School
900 Gardenview Drive
Westview Elementary
225 Gardenview Drive
• If landlord permits and if economically feasible
• *Needs a drop
19
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Farmington Government Facilities
City Hall
430 Third Street
Central Maintenance Facility
19650 Municipal Drive
FAA Center
512 Division Street
Farmington Library
508 Third Street
Fire Station 1
21625 Denmark Avenue
Fire Station 2
19695 Municipal Drive
Liquor Store
109 Elm Street
Liquor Store*
18350 Pilot Knob Road
Municipal Pool
626 Heritage Way
Police Department
19500 Municipal Drive
Schmitz Maki Ice Arena
114 Spruce Street
Senior Center
325 Oak Street
* If landlord permits and if economically feasible to serve
Farmington Schools: ISD #192
Akin Road Elementary School
5231 1951 Street West
Boeckman Middle School
800 Denmark Avenue
Dodge Middle School
4200 — 208 Street West
Farmington Elementary School * **
500 Maple Street
Farmington High School *
20655 Flagstaff Avenue
Farmington Idea Program"
304 Spruce Street
Instructional Service Center **
510 Walnut Street
Meadowview Element
6100 — 195 Street West
North Trail Elementary
5580 — 170th Street West
* If becomes economically feasible to serve
** Verify drop status
***Need drop into building
20
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Rosemount Government Facilities
City Hall
2875 West 145h
Community Center
13885 South Robert Trail
Family Resource Center
14521 Cimarron Avenue
Fire Station 1
14700 Shannon Parkway
Fire Station 2
2047 Connemara Trail West
Public Works Building
14425 Brazil Avenue
Public Works Garage
14455 Brazil Avenue
Rosemount Steeple Center
14375 South Robert Trail
Rosemount Schools: ISD #196
Rosemount Elementary
3155 West 143rd Street
Rosemount Middle School
3135 West 143r Street
Rosemount High School
3335 West 142n Street
Shannon Park Elementary
13501 Shannon Parkway
Other Rosemount Educational Facilities*
Alliance Education Center
300 Biscayne Avenue West
Dakota County Technical College
1300 East 1451 Street
First Baptist School
14400 Diamond Path West
St. Joseph Catholic School
13900 Biscayne Avenue West
* If landlord permits and if economically feasible to serve
21
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
WEB SURVEY OVERVIEW
Process
A non - scientific survey was conducted as part of the needs assessment process to gather public
input regarding satisfaction levels with Charter Communications and interest in local
programming. Survey questions were developed by the consultant based on AFRCC priorities,
and the survey questionnaire was reviewed and finalized by the Commission before being
launched on the cities' web sites. The survey was promoted by the cities of Apple Valley,
Farmington, and Rosemount, and was accessible on their websites from November 8 —
December 9, 2012. Respondents answered 20 questions: four questions were of a demographic
nature, one was open - ended, and 15 questions focused primarily on respondent's satisfaction
with Charter, and interest in and use of the local channels. As noted above, this was not a
scientific survey and does not represent a random sample. Respondents self selected to take the
survey, and the results do not necessarily represent the views of all Charter subscribers.
Demographics
There were 290 responses to the survey. The first table below compares the relationship of each
the three AFRCC cities to the whole in three measurements: the 2010 Census, subscribers to
Charter, and respondents to the survey. Compared to the percentage of cable subscribers by city,
Apple Valley was under represented in the survey by 13 %, Farmington was under represented by
3 %, and Rosemount was over represented by 16 %.
Males represented 58% of the respondents and females 42 %. This is slightly higher than Dakota
County demographics from the 2010 census, which showed that males represented 49.6 % of the
population and females 50.4 %.
city
2010 Census
Cable Subscribers
Survey Respondents
Apple Valle
53%
59%
46%
Farmington
23%
21%
18%
Rosemount
24%
20%
36%
Age Range
2010 Census Representation
Survey Respondents
Under 25
n/a
1%
25 -34
14%
14%
35 -44
15%
25%
45 -54
17%
24%
55 -64
1 11%
1 22%
65+
1 9%
1 14%
22
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Response Highlights
A sample of responses is listed below. For complete results, see Attachment A to this report.
Local Programming
■ 75% of respondents were somewhat to very interested in watching local programs.
■ 88% of respondents had watched a local program within the past 6 months.
■ Council meetings were the most frequently watched, followed by ISD #196 programs,
and Planning Commission meetings.
■ Shows the public would like to see include high school sports, community events, and
local history as the top three choices.
Charter Communications
The top three services taken are: Internet, regular cable service, and HD cable service.
■ More people were dissatisfied with Charter's customer service than were satisfied.
■ Only 27% of respondents who called Charter with a problem got it resolved with one
phone call.
■ Top three reasons people don't subscribe to Charter: 1) too expensive, 2) poor customer
service, and 3) they subscribe to satellite TV.
■ Charter's local office received higher marks and there were more satisfied respondents
than dissatisfied.
■ Open -ended comments were coded into categories, the top three comment types were:
1) Charter is too expensive, 2) people want competition from another provider, and 3)
Charter has poor customer service.
23
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
NEEDS AND INTERESTS /RECOMMENDATIONS
PEG Channels and Support
Based on information gathered during the needs assessment process and the Consultant's
experience with other communities, there is a need and interest in ensuring that PEG access
continues and is enhanced in a renewal franchise period. A renewal franchise should include the
following provisions for PEG access channels, programming, and support.
■ Maintain the PEG channels in their existing locations (10, 12, 16, and 22).
■ Maintain the requirement for five channels for PEG access and community programming
■ Ensure that the AFRCC maintains the equivalent bandwidth currently allocated to it (5
PEG channels at 6 MHz. each) or receives adequate compensation if the AFRCC chooses
to use less than the 30 MHz. provided by the current franchise.
■ Maintain PEG channels on the lowest tier of service.
■ Provide PEG channels in a SD format that is non - discriminatory and consistent with the
digital quality and capabilities provided to broadcast channels.
■ Simulcast PEG channels in SD and HD to ensure that subscribers who have HD technology
can view PEG programming in the same format.
■ Provide PEG programming in a Video on Demand format, consistent with the quality and
usability of Charter's other offerings of On Demand programming.
■ Maintain the connections for the transmission of live and recorded programming from the
city halls of Apple Valley, Farmington, and Rosemount and ISD #192 and ISD #196.
■ Ensure that the PEG fee is adequate to support PEG needs, including the equipment
upgrade and replacement needs over the term of a renewed franchise.
■ Preserve the ability of the AFRCC to increase the PEG fee throughout the term of the
franchise to ensure PEG funding keeps pace with inflation.
24
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Other Franchise Provisions
Based on information gathered during the needs assessment process and the Consultant's
experience, the following needs and interest have been identified and should be addressed in a
renewal franchise.
■ Maintain many of the provisions of the current franchise including but not limited to
franchise fees, insurance, bonds, and letter of credit.
■ Maintain Grantor's enforcement ability.
■ Maintain the existing requirement for emergency message override of the system to advise
and protect citizens.
■ Maintain requirements regarding customer service.
■ Maintain reporting requirements of Grantee including but not limited to financial reports,
technical reports, and customer service- related reports.
■ Maintain Charter's local office for the convenience and accessibility of local residents.
Provide and maintain a high quality, reliable, up -to -date cable system.
Continue to provide drops and complimentary service to existing governmental and
educational facilities. Provide future drops and complimentary cable service under the
same terms and conditions throughout the term of a renewed franchise as facilities are built
or re- located.
25
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
ATTACHMENT A
Web Survey Results
26
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
SubscriberStatus
Never
Subscriber
4%
Former
Subscriber
19%
Current
Subscriber
77%
27
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Why Don't Subscribe
60
50
50
35
40
31
30
20
11
10
7
0
Too Poor Subscribe Poor Watch Other
Expensive Customer to Satellite Technical Broadcast
Service. TV Quality TV
27
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Watch Local Channels
No
45%
Yes
55%
28
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Charter Services Used
250
233
194 177
200
142 129
150
100
68
50
0
Internet Regular HD Cable 0n Telephone Pay -Per-
Cable TV TV Demand View
Watch Local Channels
No
45%
Yes
55%
28
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Times Watched Local Shows Past six Months
9+ Times
8% 0 Times
12%
4 -8 Times
19%
\-1 -3 Times
61%
Local Shows Watched Past Six Months
140 119
120
100
76
80
48
60
40
28 23 23 20 19
20
0
o� I< t
'A aA
O�
29
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
How Interested In Watching Local Shows?
Not At All Extremely
4% 5%
Very
Not Very 618%
21%
Somewhat
52%
Watch More Local If On Demand?
Definitely Not
2%
Probably Not Definitely 15%
19%
Not sure
24%
Probably
40%
30
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Local Shows Would Like To See
Top Four Categories
so T2
70 68 66
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
HS Sports Community Local History HS Events
Events
Other Show Topics of Interest
60
50
40 33
30
20
10
0
City Local City Arts & Music Elementary Middle School
Department News School Events Events
Info.
49 49 45
29
31
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Technical Quality of Local Channels
Very
Unsatisfied Very Satisfied
7% 5%
Unsatisfied
12%
Neutral
34%
Satisfied
42%
Variety of Local Shows
Very
Unsatisfied Very Satisfied
Unsatisfied 2% 2%
9%
Satisfied
34%
Neutral
53%
32
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Charter's Overall Technical Quality
Very Very Satisfied
Unsatisfied 6%
15%
Satisfied
Unsatisfied 33% —( 23%
l
Neutral
23%
Charter's Customer Service
Very Satisfied
Very 5%
Unsatisfied
28% Satisfied
22%
Unsatisfied P�Neutral
23% 22%
33
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Customer Support Via Charter's Website
Very Satisfied
4%
Very Satisfied
Unsatisfied 16%
27% A k
0 Neutral
26%
Unsatisfied
27%
Customer Support Via Charter's Local Office
Very
Unsatisfied
2% Very Satisfied
8%
Unsatisfied
28% J1
Satisfied
35%
Neutral
27%
34
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Calls Required To Resolve Problem
3 Calls
16%
�c
4+ Calls
25%
Open -Ended Comments
�1 Call
27%
2 Calls
32%
Of the 290 survey respondents, 166 or 57% contributed comments. There were no comments on
local programming, and ten of the comments were positive about Charter. Cost was the highest
concern expressed by respondents, followed by poor customer service, and poor technical quality
that included problems with channel quality and outages, and problems with equipment provided
by Charter such as DVRs. Programming was also a concern, especially the relocation of
programming to higher -cost tiers of service. Of those providing written comments, 38% wanted
competition in the cable market and more options than just having Charter as a cable provider.
35
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Open -Ended Comments
90
80
70
63
57
60
48
50
40
30
20
10
0
Too Want Poor Poor
Programming
Expensive Competition Customer Technical
Issues
Service Quality
35
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
39
35
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
Verbatim Open -Ended Comments (Unedited)
I'm satisfied with Charter's offerings and pricing. I am not impressed with what
I see from other vendors like Comcast. I would be pretty unhappy if our area
transitioned to Comcast (perhaps other vendors too, I have not heard as much
about other vendors other than Comcast).
2. When we moved to Apple Valley, our only cable option was Charter, & we had
a horrible experience. We moved to Dish, which I'm not happy with Dish, but
it's better than Charter. Please, figure out a way to get Comcast in Apple Valley.
Thank You.
Apple Valley needs to start offering its residents more options. I have nothing
against Cable providers but I am fed up with Charter. I am currently shopping
for a new home and will consider the town I move to regarding the
entertainment options that are available.
4. Charter website is terrible. As current customer they block you from trying to
see options to change and will not allow you to see fees. Internet speed is a
fraud, they charge us for "faster" speed but I think they are screwing us.
Overall, if I had a choice to change services - I would TODAY!!!
Website is terrible and not user friendly. Can't find fees for anything. Main
office on Cedar Ave is terrible -you can't find a phone number to contact them or
a website. Charter is worthless, I want something new /ANYTHING! ! !
6. We are just ending our 2 year contract with them and have not been impressed
with their service. I am l000king at changing to Frontier.
7. When is the overbuild of FTTH coming to other neighborhoods? This was a
requirement of their franchise agreement!
8. Need many many more hd channels
9. Certain channels start to flicker or completely "pop out." Have had the box
replaced as well as some of the wiring but still an issue. Not sure if it is due to
some of the lines run to the house going bad or corrupt.
10. Charter does not offer good pricing or product options on basic television. Our
community needs a low cost television option for basic channels and this option
should be availalbe as a stand alone product or bundled.
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
11. It would be nice if Charter offered OnDemand for Fox as well. I am always
getting advertisements about phone serivice, however EVERYTIME I call, they
say it is not available in my area. Prices could be better. Really hate having to
use Charter.
12. Charter is very expensive for what you get. It would be nice to get someone
else.
13. Charter is too expensive for the low quality and smaller number of cable
channels they offer. Offering local community programming on Charter
exclusively is a total disservice to the community. I dropped Charter cable
because they charge twice what competitors charge for half -as -many channels.
14. I would like to see a change from charter as their products and services are
limited when compaired to comcast and their ixfinity program. Charter doesn't
seem to care about their customers as well. Very frustrating and expensive for
what you get.
15. We, like many other Apple Valley Residents, would like the opportunity to
have more cable /internet /phone provider choices to choose from (for example,
comcast, century link, etc.). It is not fair for Charter to have a monopoly on
these services. It makes the costs much higher than they should be.
16. I have had excellant service everytime I have had to work woth anyone at
Charter.
17. Charter's terrible service is the reason I went to satellite TV. I will not go back
to Charter ever again!!!!
18. Charter is expensive and doesn't provide the channels i want as part of a
reasonable package. Some folks do wish to have Big 10 network, CMT,
Oxygen, without subscribing to HBO or Skin -e -max. I am actively looking for
an alternative, but feel held hostage by my internet connestion through them.
19. their price is too high. I had comcast before I moved to Apple Valley and the
same services were less.
20. Too many channels moved to Basic Plus requiring higher fees. Other
companies have lower prices and better equipment but not allowed to compete
against Charter in area. Was given wrong information by Charter sales people
and when it came time for equipment installation promises not fulfilled.
21. Very expensive for the amount of TV may family watches... We are currently
looking for an alternative.
37
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
22. The price charged for bundled services is REDICULOUSLY high. I am
considering dropping Charter. Office hours are TERRIBLE. NO weekend
hours and are only open late on Wednesday nights, which is church night.
Please research city of Rosemount going to citywide WIFI. This could benefit
many.
23. I would like to try Comcast. Everyone I know that has Comcast has better
quality and pays a lot less than we pay.
24. Wish Big Ten Network was still included, instead of being taken away. Also
would like to see WCHA Hockey on TV again. Comcast is going to cover St.
Cloud State Games. Contemplating a switch to Direct TV in the Future do to the
above mentioned.
25. I believe the cost of cable TV is way to high for what you get. We subscribe to
Direct TV because the costs are lower. We subscribe to the phone and internet
(also too high) because it is better than the alternatives.
26. The price for cable is extremely high and keeps rising a few cents each month.
After awhile, it adds up to be quite a bit of an increase.
27. Charter's offerings appear to be substantially below that of other options and
with higher pricing.
28. I'm going to grad school online, needs the internet connection, but the cable TV
service is just terrible. When you complain they tell you, you need to pay them
to come out and look at the wiring in your house. Our programs unsynch, where
the voice and the picture are different.
29. We are very unhappy with the price and customer service. The service is
expensive and their customer service is very cumbersome & time consuming to
use & often requires you to unplug everything before giving the message that
service is unavailable. Service outage seems to happen frequently.
30. After moving to Rosemount, we used FTTH for a few months - that was
HORRIBLE. Quickly switched to Charter. Service is poor, the cable tv went out
a lot (so much for that being a satellite issue), and the picture was always fuzzy.
We recently switched back to satellite and are very satisfied.
31. Bad customer service and overprice product
12
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
32. the worst customer service, many outages, cable box failure, horrible pricing,
billing horrors, programming is old and repetative, movies are repeated too
often, customer service reps read from script and do not address specific
concerns, problems, the billing is different every month in errors
33. Because data are data, Charter should be mandated to deliver local
programming over the Internet as well as their CATV in order to best reach all
people in the area.
34. Bill is always changing, do not have and discounts and is over priced right now
35. Charter's irresponsible contractors for instal ,svc wrk, unwilling to take
responsibility, help recover /repair damages to home from instals EXPAND
Comcast's coverage, ANY other cable provider's access to our market S of
McAndrews, Comcast svcs N of the rd but not on our side.
36. I have had to replace my DVR box several times. The equipment works fine for
awhile and then incurs recording and playback problems
37. Charter is terrible.The technitians were unable to install phone lines, but billing
department continues to bill me.I have called numerous times as well as gone
into the location on Pilot Knob to resolve this. Very poor customer service,
high fees, very unsatisfied. Please get comcast in this area!
38. rates are too high and with no other competition they continue to increase. If
you don't call on the right exact date after one year, your rates will go up and
even if you do call each year rates continue to increase
39. Whenever we had a problem, Charter C.S. was very helpful and problem was
resolved in a timely manner. We like Charter and would not want to lose their
services - We have our phone, H.S. internet and T.V. with Charter for years
and totally satisfied with their service and programming availability.
40. I wish I had other options than just Charter or Frontier or Satillite. If there are
other Vendors like Xfinity or others, please tell me. 952 -431 -5253. John
Westrum, Apple Valley. 8010 132nd Court. Charter service has a lot of outages.
I think their services are high priced.
41. I don't like the package choices I am given for cable TV. I would like to select
the channels I want and view similar to purchasing songs on iTunes. They need
to improve their technology to make this possible. They spend too much money
on advertising. Thanks for allowing me to comment.
39
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
42. Please do not renew the franchise license with Charter. By having a monopoly,
they price gouge customers. Just the Basic Cable package costs $25 + tax.
However, they don't even offer it as they want you on one of their three
packages (Bad, Really Bad and Worst) that start at $55!
43. I think Charter's pricing could be more competitive i.e. cheaper. With cable
there is no choice for the consumer for any other cable options, not fair.
44. I think that Charter has capitalized on the exclusive service they offer. My price
has steadily gone up. Being a customer for over 15 years, I have never gotten a
"loyal customer" discount. I have been told "discontinue your service for 3
months and we can sign you up as a new customer ". Thanks
45. We have been relatively happy with the services provided by Charter
Communications. However, we feel that their pricing is very high, and there
are no other companies to choose from. It would be nice to see more than one
option for cable service in the area.
46. I know in this economy it would be nice to have the oportunity to not have to
spend close to 200.00 for a basic package of intemet /phone /tv.
47. I would like to see more competition for the cable services. Would a city
owned service be more competitive? I note that in cities where there is
competition among cable companies, costs go down.
48. HD programming should NOT require cable boxes (required to be leased) as
modern TV's have the ability to decode HD signals. Channel realignment causes
me to lose the channels I want forcing me to either pay more for less or go into
HD programming which REQUIRES a cable box and leasing fees
49. Too many "deals" then high price and all the sales are hard to understand
50. have had to return cable boxes several times as they were defective. It seems
as if Charter should be repairing the defective boxes and remote control devices
before handing them off to another customer. I have wasted many trips to the
Charter office to return defective devices.
51. We need more options for providers as costs are getting out of control.
Comcast and Direct TV are much lower but can not get them.
52. I would like more variety in cable companys to choose from. Charters customer
service is poor and always has been since I moved here in 1998. I think the
market should decide what companys make it and which do not. I do not
understand why the city makes this decision and not the market (us). Thanks
.1
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
53. I wish Charter would include the Weather Channel and the TV schedule
channel in with "Basic" cable -- they used to. I mis the weather channel! And
how do they expect to "sell" me on additional channel packages if I don't know
what the channels are? Let customers select channels they want.
54. I moved to the Rosemount area last spring. This community should be offering
customers more of a choice besides Charter and direct TV. I would like to see
COMCAST in this area. THey have improved their customer service so much
in recent years and should be given a chance in this area.
55. Price is too expensive for the service provided. Have to take too many channels
not wanted to get the few we watch.
56. Please open up the market to Comcast_ I moved too Apple Valley recently from
Bloomington where I had Comcast. Comcast/X- Finity provided more channels,
more on -demand options, and faster internet for less than I am paying with
Charter.
57. We pay more for Charter for less channels and slower Internet. When lived in
Bloomington 1 year ago we paid 30 dollars less for the same service. Comcast
deal is better than Charter we had faster internet and more tv channels. There
needs to be competition to keep the price fair.
58. I would very much like to have the option of basic cable tv for local channels
only at a lower rate. I was told by Charter when I asked that they did not offer
such a plan. However, I know that other cable providers such as Comcast in
Mpls and St. Paul have this option.
59. Customer service via telephone is less than satisfactory. More often than not, I
get an overseas call center and there is a language barrier. They often seem to
be speaking from a script. Only way to get US help is to ask to cancel my
account. Then I'm transferred to a US call center, get results.
60. The price is hugely expensive. The cost of basic cable just kept going up every
year, so I dropped it completely and now I watch shows on Netflix. If the cost
was more reasonable, I would consider subscribing again.
61. If you call with phone, you have a hard time getting out of automated; very
irritating! Also, recording on DVR not always reliable. Cable box buzzes;
dropped occasionally as well. I am saisfied with the choice of programming.
Picture quality is generally good.
41
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
62. VERY tired of Charter moving channels from Basic to higher levels. Removing
channels is essentially a price increase. Charter claims providers require; we
doubt. IF required, provision should be made to include the higher channels in
Basic. Continued movement will result in switch to satellite.
63. Our family feels that it would be nice to at least have a choice as to what
provider we use.
64. I had a question on my bill and was passed around 5 times before I got someone
in INDIA! who said she couldn't help me. I had to call another number which
was disconnected
65. I have not heard much good about them, I have Comcast and I like it just fine.
Charter - NO THANKS!
66. every time I call w /issue (there are lots, modem goes down, DVR, doesn't work,
slow internet, incorrect bills they always have a different program option and its
more expensive, or I have to order more to get the shows I want. Seem like
scam sometimes trying to get a straight answer from them
67. I wish they would stick with one price plan, Why don't they tell customers
about new packages? Not fair that I pay more than I needed to for channels that
are cheaper now. Wish they were more honest about "true" prices
68. Always raising prices, moved Hallmark channel and Country channel from
basic cable to a premium channel, change channel numbers without notifying
customer
69. Had to get new remote three times before I had one that worked -The choices of
pay per view movies are terrible -do not all movies go to cable ?? there also is
too much repeating of same movies on regular cable channels -I think I could go
back to local channels only and be entertained.
70. I have always had issues with Charter -their service and am 'stuck' using them if
I want to live in Apple Valley and not get a satellite dish. I lived in Eagan for a
while and loved Comcast -Had no trouble at all. Moved back to AV and this is
the only thing we dislike. Give us another cable option.
71. I really wish other cable services were available to us ie Centery Link, Quest,
etc. because I feel Charter's rates are too high and competition would be good.
Now we do not have a choice!!
72. it would be nice to have a choice for cable provider
Mi
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
73. most questions were for Charter's TV programming and service. I have
DirecTV and only use Charter for broadband and landline phone
74. Charter takes advantage of being the only option of cable programming in this
area. They have a take it or leave it attitude and without competition - quality
will be poor and prices will be out of control. They have the monopoly and
they treat their "customers" accordingly.
75. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to voice our reality with Charter
76. Communications. Our internet service is horrible, the cable goes out often, their
equipment has caught fire, and their web interface (website) is unusable! Please
consider something else. At 180.00 a month, this is nuts!
77. My concern is with renewing once a contract is up. If you're a new customer
you get a better deal than a renewing customer. That certainly does not reward
it's customers. Also one's ability to have some various options in channel line
up - it's either too little or too much.
78. I am not happy that Charter keeps taking programs away from me. They are
forcing you to take their digital subscription.
79. Cable packages have different catagories. The HD channels are scattered
through the catagories. If a customer wants more than one HD channel, the
customer must purchase each catagory at an additional charge. I think this
should be stopped. The rates are high enough. 300 characters insufficient.
80. The price fixing is outrageous and their customer service is very disappointing
(it takes many calls and visits to the office before problems /questions can be
answered /solved),I wish there was more competition so the prices would be so
inflated because they have a monopoly in Rosemount for cable.
81. I have on occasion found it difficult to call and acctually speak to a Charter
employee that is based in the United States. This makes understanding difficult.
82. The only thing I am unhappy with is I can lock into a price but only way to
reduce my price was to upgrade There are no other options other than getting a
satellite dish and I think that the lack of competition lets them have all the
power. I am paying $218 a month for cable, phone and internet.
83. Charters cable TV is the only provider in Rosemount which gives them the
ability to over charge we need another provider to cut cost o cable tv.
84. Why Charter and Frontier does not have any competition in AV, F and R?
43
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
85. Their customer service is non - existent and i've been told by a rep, we can
charge what we want because there is no choice, unless you don't want service.
HD quality is horrible and distorts during important times movies sports etc.
When service is called they simply say to turn off the box and reset
86. The way they handled this change, and the lack of a satisfactory solution is just
not acceptable. We had use of 4 -V's in the house and now we have 2. They sau
we have a weak connection?
87. We discontinued all TV services due to cost and kept internet only, which is
really all we can afford for "entertainment" purchases. Charter's rates for
television are outrageous unless you sign long -term contracts. In this economy,
a contract on a non - necessity is a risk we cannot take.
88. I would like to see FSN +, ESPNU, and ESPN3 added to the Basic Cable TV
package. I would also like to see more package and pricing options.
89. the cost seems too high. could the service somehow be put out for bids?
90. I hate paying for basic cable services,then pay an additional charge for a "cable
box" just to receive what is already being paid for. Then pay for an HD
Equipment Upgrade, when I'm already paying for a cable box.I'm paying for a
Wire Maintenance Plan -what is that all about? NEED MORE THAN 300
CHTRS
91. charter is our only option for cable. Their prices are NOT competitive with
other cable providers! . One of our local channels (WCCO 4) cuts out daily for
a few seconds at a time; this happens many times per hour. Calls have done
nothing to resolve the problem.
92. Charter is charging 7.225% sales tax. The sales tax in this area (Farmington) is
7.125 %. Have gotten no satisfaction from Charter. I have contacted the state
attorney generals office.
93. I believe that Charter's price for Cable TV is at the high end of the market. And,
their recent ad campaign is misleading. For example, the ad says Charter
provides X number of free HD programs but all broadcasts must now be in HD.
Charter doesn't say you must pay an extra $5 @ mo for anHD box.
94. you need other cable companies in apple valley besides charter and frontier.
more compatition to lower the costs.
95. Charter has terrible customer service. Every time I call it's someone from India
and I can't understand them.
rd
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
96. To expensive, and bad customer service! Not able to make payment
arrangements or set up a future payment so your cable will not get
disconnected. Tis is something I can do with Verizon and many other
companies!
97. With YouTube you don't need to waste tax payer money on paying charter to
broadcast anything, put it on YouTube for FREE or links on City of Rosemount
site to view.
98. I would like to have a choice between carriers. I think have just one cable
carrier available results in higher prices. Their only real competition here is the
satellite services, and that just doesn't work in my wooded neighborhood.
99. The cost keeps going up, and programming channels are being taken away.
With no competition it;'s a monopoly and the cost vs. benefit is not desireable_
When can we hookup to the new cable channel "jaguar" that is near us, but do
not have access.? CMT needs to be brought back.
100. Charter's services are so grossly over - priced. Their customer service is
incredible poor. They disrespect the customer and employ bullying tactics. If I
had a better choice, I'd switch. We really hope you can do something about
their overpriced services.
101. every couple months are rates increase with no more new services, when you
call , they just want to sll you more. time to get some competition so the rates
and quality stay high
102. I wish there was another cable option in Rosemount. Charter no longer offers
discounts for people who subscribe to lower tier packages. They only promote
packages with many channels at a high price. People who want this already
have options with satellite tv. I would like more/better choice.
103. The workers at the local office in Apple Valley off Cedar Ave. are very rude
and unfriendly. They also keep raising rates. Why are cable companies
allowed to monopolize an area? Bring in multiple companies to held bring rates
down!!!!!
104. I think Charter has way too much of a monopoly in cable Tv. They pretty much
can charge what they want or make changes at will. Their customer service is
atrocious at best and trying to talk to a "live" person is extremely difficult. I
definitely would not recommend Charter to anyone.
45
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
105. high charges & rising (across the country) Fin ill so it's read or watch tv or go
online. 2 yr contracts are typical, required. ur locked in! big bucks to end one.
cust svc calls take 20 -30 minutes. stressful. can't stand that automated voice.
repair calls r scheduled 3 -4 days later:(
106. I wish we had access to Channel 17's weather programming (tpt2 -wx). There
are multiple tpt -2 substations but why not the weather? I also have issues with
the DVR not recording programs that have been scheduled to record. It would
also be nice to be able to record more than 2 shows at once.
107. I am 64, retired, and NEVER had a WORSE experience with ANY company. I
HOPE ROSEMOUNT DOES NOT RENEW WITH CHARTER. Both my
daughter and grand- daughter in other cities have Charter and also have terrible
experiences with Charter! At least, give us some choices of another company to
go with.
108. We have called repeatedly about the previews that are played during the on-
demand selection process. While searching for CHILDREN'S SHOWS, there
are extremely offensive and inappropriate previews playing in the preview box
(horror movies, R rated movies, violence, sexual). Disgusting.
109. I think Charter services are expensive. I would like to see better rates for their
services.
110. Seems as though there are better cable values available through other carriers.
111. The signal has been spotty. Multiple times I have had connection errors that
take ten to fifteen minutes to resolve. Calling Charter doesn't help. I did not
have this issue with Comcast in South St Paul.
112. It would be nice to explore more competitive pricing from other companies.
Charter has good quality, although I believe there are better options out there.
113. It appears some of the channels do not take advantage of HD. At this point i
would guess the majprity of TV sets have been replaced with the new format.
114. Charter bundles claim they do not charge movie channels for 24 months, but
charges for them after 12 months. Charter's billing is very conplexed has hidden
charges. Local cities should investigate multiple offerings. Charter takes
advantage of customers because of the non competitive environment.
115. The best part about Charter is that you are not required to have a set top box on
any TV to view basic and expanded basic channels. This should continue.
IS
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
116. Charter is OVERPRICED in comparison to other communities and channels
offered. I DO NOT NEED 20 HISPANIC CHANNELS when I get nearly NO
watchable movie channels. My cable bill with internet is $96.00 per month and
I get NO premium channels - I WILL TAKE ANY OTHER CABLE
COMPANY OVER CHARTER!!!!!!!!
117. We used Charter TV for 15+ years and found that the service was deteriorating.
Customer Service over the phone was nonexistent and required a trip to their
Lakeville office. Updated equipment (DVR, etc.) was rarely available without
going on a waiting list for months. Pricing was noncompetitive.
118. I would like to have more cable providers beside Chater Communications.
Chater is VERY EXPENSIVE!!!! I wonder sometimes if someone is getting
kickbacks.
119. loose picture, sound or both about 4 times per hour. duration varies from 1
second to several minutes.
120. Prices are too high and when you get into a special package for X amount of
time when that comes to the end you are bumped back up to a higher price
without much of a notice. when you call on support you get people that are hard
to understand. As far as i am concered there are better deals out there
121. I want to see more competition, It is basically a monopoly and very expensive if
you bundle. I would also like the ability to choose only the channels I like to
watch.
122. Added a $20 fee for canceling cable w/o telling me. Then did not send a bill that
month.They also double billed me and didn't show at scheduled for equipment
pick -up and turned it over to equipment collections co. in less than 30 days from
when they were to pick it up. SCAM!
123. Would like new internet services in our area.
124. Will never get charter cable. Would only think about a new service such as
Verizon FIGS. Please encourage other providers.
125. It took 5 techs to get my cable installed. They won't run cable and they have
installed it incorrectly. I wouldn't recommend any cable because of the fees and
extra costs. For $200 /month one would think you would get a service that was
worth the expense.
126. We have had Charter out three times to fix both audio and video. They have not
been able to correct the problem. We just put up with it.
47
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
127. Phone technical people great. They work with you until problem resolved.
Customer service reps not customer oriented. Pricing for cable continues to
climb and no special offered just for TV. Company continues to rip people off
because there is no other competition for cable.
128..., the signal is still not acceptable. I am very disappointed with charter and
bascially have given up. I keep chcking to see if FTTP oR THE cable company
that supplies evermore will ever extend thier service, but hope there can be
another option....... couldn't explain charter is crap
129. Want more competition and choice options. Would like to have Comcast as a
choice besides Charter. This should help to lower service costs.
130. The customer service at Charter Communications is, and has always been, in
need of improvement. We have been very dissapointed that we have no
alternative to Charter. We would like a different provider than Charter for Cable
TV.
131. Don't find Charter 2 b the best value... compared 2 Comcast or satellite. Their
cable product is also suspect ... alot. 2 many'Wait for channel' notes and channel
never comes on line (which I'm paying for). Last night ALL channels went this
route. I went to bed so not sure when they came back up.
132. -I think Charter should be forced to offer a no contract, very cheap basic cable
option -I would like to see at least two cable companies in our area so we have
a choice - Charter cable programming was not very accessible. The Guide
channel made it really difficult to find something to watch
133. Poor customer service, bad pricing. Will give clients obsolete equipment that
breaks or fails after a short time. Will call you a lot to add services and when
you do order they forget to process it. Horrible moving here and being told
Charter was only option and hearing bad things from others
134. I think it is terrible that we have no access to cable TV or the higher speed of
the internet! ! ! We are the slaves of Frontier Phone service.... faster internet is
just a mere block away!!!! In this day and age I would expect that faster
internet for streaming would be available for everyone!!!!
135. We were Charter customers for quite some time. We had a number of technical
issues... especially internet, and never really had good customer service.
Additionally, we weren't satisfied with the programming offered nor with the
price charged. We lost our tv connection frequently
M.
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
136. They keep removing programs, or channels and still charging high fees. so
much adds per hr, it makes you feel like your paying to watch adds, removing
channels is my big complaint.
137. I don't know why there isn't more competition between cable companies. For
example, my parents live on the East Coast and in their town they have a choice
between Verizon, Comcast and RCN. We should not rule Charter out, but they
should not be the only choice either.
138. PLEASE, get another cable company in here. Charter was horrible to deal with,
I simply needed a new modem, for which I was paying a monthly fee, they
refused to test the modem, I went for 2 1/2 months without internet because
they refused to listen to me. Long story, not enough room here to tell.
139. Charter Communications performance is extremely poor and continues to get
worse. Their infrastructure cannot support the technology of today and into the
future.
140. We often had periods when we did not have service due to some kind of
technical problems. I wrote to Charter headquarters and complained about
pricing. We had Comcast cable service when we lived in IL. I think Comcast
has better programming options and better service than Charter.
141. I feel that Charter's prices are too high. In addition," regular channels ", such as
the Big 10 Network where the U of Minnesota is a part of, should be included
in basic packages (I don't have this channel). I would welcome including other
cable providers into the discussion to drive prices down.
142. The tv service is ok. I have huge. Issues with the internet and the wsy they do
appts. I keep losing internet service. A service tech hsd an appt 10sm to noon.
No one showed but because I missed their call the appt was cancelled. This is
not the first time.
143. programming choices much fewer than other providers for same cost (e.g.
Comcast); on demand extremely ltd compared to Comcast; had problem with
interruption of sys & tv pixiliation, they said it was due to upgrades but don't
buy that; finally 4th visit technician resolved it; VERY AGGRAVATING
144. Sure would be nice to have another cable company option ... Dish is a proven
failure.
145. The service is getting very expensive and I am considering dropping it. Too bad
they can't have a rate like the phone company cheap rate w/o a lock time period.
It would make it easier to make commitment and be a satisfied customer. Brand
loyalty.
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
146. Charter does not have enough people at the front desk to help customers during
the day. They also call at all hours of the day trying to sell more product.
147. Charter is too expensive and the service is unreliable. PLEASE look for
another provider for the Farmington area.
148. after I got one of their pkg. deal they always seem to take one of my fravore ch.
out of that pkg.
149. We were previous customers in St. Cloud, but ran into massive billing issues.
We decided to give Charter another chance when we moved into the
Rosemount. Unfortunately, it was the same story. Both times we were quoted a
price and then charged a much higher price then what was originally agreed
upon.
150. We had Comcast in Coon Rapids and never had any problems with billing or
technical support. We went with Charter on two occasions and had to constantly
battle customer support for price increases that we were never notified of.
Incredible disconnect from billing department and sales /customer service
151. After Charter switched to Digital, now we will pay an extra $5 per month (after
one year) and will get fewer channels. Comcast provides around 50 channels as
part of their Basic -Basic programming (the Federally required one). We're
annoyed with Charter and would rather have Comcast in this area.
152. Install was done improperly. Called about a billing problem it was difficult to
understand the CSR. My problem was resolved but on my next bill, I was
charged for a new service that I did not request. I do not have a converter box,
so they keep removing access to channels, yet I still pay the same.
153. 1. I'm disappointed Charter offers deals to new customers but doesn't make an
effort (with discounts) to retain existing customers. Repeat customers should be
rewarded for their loyalty. 2. Why don't we have a choice in cable providers,
like we do for garbage haulers?
154. I am extremely disappointed that we lost the Big Ten Network coverage, as well
as, the Game Show Network. I would really like to see the BTN again. Also,
disappointed with the clarity of the TV picture when the cable box is hooked up
to the TV.
155. We definitely have need for more competition in terms of TV service and
internet service. Prices are too high and there is a general disregard for
providing any service. Frontier Communications which I also have dealt with
over the years has been poor in providing any customer service.
50
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013
156. Poor channel lineup when compared to similar services offered by TimeWamer
or Comcast in adjacent areas of the Twin Cities. HD selection is very sub-
standard for the price of HD subscription. I only subscribe to Charter Internet,
and only because I don't have another high -speed provider to use.
157. Too many occasions of interrupted cable service. Too many internet connection
problems. Our Charter bundle jumped significantly when our introductory offer
expired. They were unwilling to reduce our rate without losing services. We
would like to have a different cable service.
158. We don't like the programming choices given from Charter. They offer way too
much inappropriate programming and not enough quality programming. We
don't watch much that they offer.
159. I think Charter is gouging the residents of AV on it's fees for services. Our other
option is Frontier. Yet, all the communities around AV can have Comcast.
Force competition and drive monthly charges down, improving the services to
the residents of AV. Let Comcast in and have its residents decide!
160. I've been a long time Charter customer and have been very satisfied with the
company. Their customer service has always been friendly and accommodating.
I look forward to many more years with Charter.
161. Good customer service.
162. Need different company. Charter doesn't care!!!!
163. our tv picture quality has been bad ever since we signed on with charter 6 yrs
ago. we have had aprox. 15 service calls to our house to fix the problem,which
require you to waste 1/2 your day waiting for them.I think someone who has
had that many service calls should be 1 st on the list for service.
164. Charter continually decreases the number of channels (basis & expanded basic)
available but does not reduce the cost. Seems like the reduction in available
channels is a ploy on the part of charter to force people to subscribe to higher
priced packages.
165. We believe Charter rates are unacceptably high (we pay over $100 per month).
When we call Charter with issues, we're given promises which are routinely
ignored. When we complain, we are given some "mumbo jumbo" explanation
or are left sitting on hold. We are refused access to a supervisor.
51
AFRCC PEG Needs Assessment Report Dated 1 -14 -2013