Amherst Media is main beneficiary of Comcast ten year contract
Comcast, the mega media giant who owns the sole cable franchise for Amherst, responded to the town's 10 year renewal RFP with an in-your-face comeback.
While the 5% cut of $6.2 million in annual revenues ($317,000 to Amherst Media for local access this year) is pretty much a given, the only real negotiation will be over the one-time equipment upgrades.
The town requested $2.2 million and Comcast responded with $450,000 -- the exact same amount they provided ten years ago. Ouch!
And they hired their own consultant to counter the two "ascertainment hearings" the town held to get feedback on Comcast services.
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So yes, this is going to get interesting.
And if not resolved by mid-October, the town's 7,000 subscribers could see their televisions go dark.
Although our Temporary Town Manager assured the state oversight authority that the town expects to come to a deal before deadline.
The simple fact that Comcast would simply add an additional fee to our cable bills in order to fund these upgrades means that it is really a stealth tax, as we would be paying it not Comcast. You could add a $100 million and Comcast would be willing to bill you for it. The matter really comes down to whether cable subscribers want to pay additional money to upgrade their local cable access channel. A channel that few watch, and even fewer care about watching in HD. What Comcast is trying to avoid is people cancelling their cable services because a handful of cable access advocates jack up everyone's bill.
ReplyDeleteTheir reply clearly states that Amherst's cable subscribers would be paying the $2.2 million for the upgrade. We are the evil empire, not them. We'd be doing it to ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI believe the act being contemplated here is physically impossible for most humans. (special font)
ReplyDeleteWhile moderate upgrades and maintenance are reasonable in order to provide coverage of essential meetings, ACTV (sorry, Amherst Media) doesn't need millions of dollars.
I'm not even in favor of having the $450,000 added to our bills.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't we offer them sprinklers or some stained glass windows. God, I would just die without ACTV.
ReplyDeleteWHAT ABOUT THE BRUCE SHOW? WON'T ANYONE THINK OF THE BRUCE SHOW???
ReplyDeleteHaving the meetings taped to watch on the web can be helpful but watching live is really not that important to most people. The programing on ACTV seems self serving and a focus for a very small minority of Amherst. The rest of us should not have to pay so these people can play TV producer in their free time. But then what do I know anyway.
ReplyDeleteI would not be upset if Comcast were to leave town.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe these monopolies are allowed to continue. I don't think HD will help local access. Can't someone record the select board on an iPhone and upload it to utube?
ReplyDeleteThis is an outrage I did not know we have to pay for these channels I would not pay $.50 a month for these channels why isn't this paid by town hall???
ReplyDeleteNothing in life is FREE this is the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteSo cable customers have no choice but to pay $5 or more per month now for actv when acvt meetings are streamed online and on demand online for all residents? Including satellite customers or people without TV. Again town hall should pay for this from taxes
ReplyDeleteThe estimated cost to cover the $2.2 million request would result in a $2.52 monthly increase.
ReplyDeleteHow do figure that? $700,000 / 7000 subscribers would be 100 a year or 8.33 a month.
ReplyDelete$2200000 / 7000 would be 314 a year or 26.19 a month. Which is more than twice the bill for limited basic.
Because that's what the Temporary Town Manager and Cable Advisory Committee told the Select Board last night.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is just for new equipment for ACTV. We already pay and will continue to pay a separate surcharge of 5% FRC line on our bills on average of $3.00 a month going directly to ACTV for their monthly operations.
ReplyDeleteIt's rated over the 10-year life of the franchise contract.
ReplyDeleteAny reason we need ACTV to begin with? I've lived here sixty years and never watched it once. Damn shame I've got to pay for someone else's childish dream instead of road repair or something actually useful.
ReplyDeleteComcast is making money hand over fist. Really, look it up - they raked in huge profits last year and last quarter. If they are so worried about losing subscribers from the small pass through to customers that would support Amherst Media, Comcast could simply lower its share of the profits. (Right, like that would happen.) Public access channels include education and government, and even though not everyone watches ACTV channels, many do - to keep informed, to learn what's going on in town, to stay on top of governing bodies, to provide an avenue for people to speak out/up. Moreover, the $2.2 million is needed to replace failing equipment and bring us into the 21st century quite apart from the channels themselves. It comes to about $21.60 per customer per year more than what we already pay, since some of that $2.60 pass through is already included in our bill. Really, you're willing to cede all the channels to Comcast and lose all public access? Not me.
ReplyDeleteIn a day of internet and Youtube and new public access options more capable than Amherst media was 10 years ago on people's phones it's time to move on. Whatever the cost is to get government meetings taped and put it on demand on the towns website the cost should be paid by all tax payers not just those with Comcast. This $2.60+ increase brings the total added to our bill to over $7 a month, without an option to cancel those channels. It's wrong all around and Comcast's revenues have nothing to do with it, it's the law.
DeleteBTW, the math works fine. There are about 7,500 subscribers, 10 years, $2.2 million. Do the math - it comes out to about $2.44 per month. For 7,000 subscribers, it comes to $2.62.
ReplyDeletePortlandia has nothing on ACTV. ACTV can't be parodied, because it's so ridiculous it parodies itself.
ReplyDelete