May 2020

FINAL – CTAC Meeting Minutes   May 6, 2020 – TELECONFERENCE (due to virus pandemic)

Attending members:

Peaches Quinn – (New Haven) –  Acting Chair
George Alexander – (Hamden) – Treasurer
Yvonne Manning-Jones  – (New Haven) – Advisor
Laurel Coleman – (Hamden) – Advisor
Anthony Cardo – (Hamden) – Advisor
Johnes Ruta – (New Haven) – Acting Secretary

Sharon Codeanne (Comcast) and Joe Schofield (CTV) were both invited to participate in the
teleconference, but neither are present online.

Call to order 6:06 pm.   Teleconference members on Zoom.

1.     TREASURER’S REPORT
George. Alexander states that the bank balance for CTAC’s account is $4,778.35.

George paid the U.S Post Office Box charge for the year of $254 for the year 2020.

Partnership Adult Day Care of Hamden has deposited their check for $2000.
Hannah Gray Elder Residence in New Haven has deposited their CTAC check for $2000.

Johnes makes a Motion to accept the Treasurer’s report. Yvonne Seconds the Motion,
Vote unanimous to accept.

2.   OLD BUSINESS

a.   CTAC PSA – Laurel: states that work on the PSA has not proceed because CTV studios
are currently closed due to the pandemic. Status remains the same.

b.   Community Awards – Anthony Cardo: update of the Veteran Award;   Anthony states that
the VA has not responded during this month period. The Contact is Abner Oakes,
who is Chairman of the Hamden Veterans Commission.

1. Neither CTV nor Comcast has contacted CTAC during this month since April 1.d.   Yvonne has become Administrator of the CTAC Facebook page with full authority.
   CTAC Cable televsion Advisory of New Haven, West Haven, Hamden.
   She has forwarded the March Minutes to George Alexander to be posted on the CTAC
   website CableAdvisory.org.

   e. Peaches questions whether Joe Schofield and Sharon Codeanne are included on the
   [email protected] ?   They are not on the list because they are not members.

   3. NEW BUSINESS

2. Johnes has proposed action to recommend Comcast Security & Abuse office to
   investigate for criminal fraudulent activity many emails which appear to come
   from Comcast demanding Comcast email user to log online and provide account
   “verification updates” with the user’s personal information.   Many of these
   fraudulent emails labeled as “Xfinity” and “Comcast” are decoded as being
   from Comcast email users themselves – as “—[email protected].”Johnes has contacted the Comcast Abuse office, and has received email responses
   from them, but with no explanation of how that office will handle these abuses
   sometimes five or ten per day.   Johnes’ concern is for Comcast customers who will
3.                      be drawn into providing critical personal information to fraudulent perpetrators.Johnes makes a Motion for Peaches to follow up with Sharon Codeanne at Comcast.
   George seconds this Motion, Vote carried.

   4 . APRIL 1^st CTAC Minutes
   a.   April Minutes – Peaches has edited Johnes’s draft of the April Minutes to remove text
   pertaining to Comcast, as the Comcast Report has been appended separately.

   Motion to approve as revised from George. Yvonne seconds Motion.

   Johnes raises issue that Minutes should record not only that which is voted on in
   Motions. Discussion about amount of detail of text of Minutes, and the recording
   of the meeting in order to have an accurate record of meeting. . Johnes reminds
   members that the CTAC By-Laws allow the recording of CTAC by members of
   the public as allowed to attend, or members of the Council.

   George makes Motion to have Minutes be a summary of discussion which lead to
   Motions taken. Johnes seconds this Motion. Carried.

   Consensus now to adjourn this teleconference.     Next meeting set for June 3, 2020, teleconference. .

   Johnes makes Motion to adjourn. George seconds this Motion. All agreed.

   Meeting Adjourned 6:45 pm.

May 6^th,, 2020 CTAC Meeting Minutes respectfully submitted by Johnes Ruta, (New Haven) Acting Secretary, May 29, 2020.

FINAL

CTAC Meeting Minutes April 1, 2020 – TELECONFERENCE (due to virus pandemic)

Attending members: 
Peaches Quinn – (New Haven) –  Acting Chair
George Alexander – (Hamden) – Treasurer
Yvonne Manning-Jones  – (New Haven) – Advisor
Laurel Coleman – (Hamden) – Advisor
Anthony Cardo – (Hamden) – Advisor
Johnes Ruta – (New Haven) – Acting Secretary

Sharon Codeanne – Comcast Representative

Joseph Schofield – Not Present

Call to order 6:02 pm.

 

I . CTAC Minutes March 4-  J. Ruta
Motion: Peaches makes motion to accept March Minutes pending amendments by Laurel . Johnes seconds Motion. Vote unanimous.

 

4778. TREASURER’S REPORT – G. Alexander
      George states that, as agreed in the March meeting Motion, CTAC has now made gifts of $2000 each to Partnership Adult Day Center in Hamden and Hannah Gray Elder Residence in New Haven. Checks have been received and deposited by these agencies.

      CTAC current bank balance – $4778.35

      III. COMCAST REPORT – Sharon Codeanne

     Reference SC Comcast Report (Appended)

IV.   OLD BUSINESS

a. CTAC PSA – L. Coleman

Video not yet available

1. Community Awards – A. Cardo

No response as yet from Vet groups. Continuing research.
.
c. CTAC Facebook page

Motion: Peaches makes motion to approve Yvonne’s designation as a
Facebook Administrator.   Laurel seconds Motion.   Vote unanimous
to accept.

d.   Frontier Subscriber Complaint — Update: PQ passed along the letter of Complaint to Mike
Cicchetti who is VP, Government and External Affairs at Frontier.

e.   Comcast statement for CTV received last month- PQ asked Sharon for direction;
notified re: $20 subscriber payment

V. NEW BUSINESS

1. State Video Advisory Council Rep Designation

             Motion: George moves to designate Peaches Quinn as Representative to State Advisory
Council. Johnes seconds Motion. Motion approved.

Motion: John makes motion to adjourn. Peaches seconds. All agreed.   Meeting Adjourned 6:58 pm.

 

 

April 1^st CTAC Meeting Minutes respectfully submitted by Johnes Ruta, (New Haven) Acting Secretary, April 7^th, 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Haven AREA CABLE ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

April 1, 2020

Community Impact

• We recently announced that we’re expanding access to and increasing speeds for our Internet Essentials customers as more students and families start to learn and work at home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • We are offering Internet Essentials free for new customers for two months (see attached flyer for terms);
  • For all new and existing Internet Essentials customers, the speed of the service was increased to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. That increase went into effect for no additional fee and it will become the new base speed for the program going forward;
  • We have opened our outdoor and small business-based Xfinity Wifi hotspots for free for the next 60 days to customers and non-customers.
  • As part of our commitment to keep customers connected to what matters most, Comcast will not disconnect Xfinity Internet or Xfinity Voice services for any customer through May 15, 2020.
• For those with school-age students at home, we’ve created new educational collections for all grade levels in partnership with Common Sense Media. Just say “education” into your X1 voice remote.
• To help keep customers informed, we also have created a collection of the most current news and information on Coronavirus. Just say “Coronavirus” into your X1 voice remote.
• Underpinning all of these efforts, Comcast’s technology and engineering teams will continue to work tirelessly to support our network operations. We engineer our network capacity to handle spikes and shifts in usage patterns, and continuously test, monitor and enhance our systems and network to ensure they are ready to support customer usage. Our engineers and technicians staff our network operations centers 24/7 to ensure network performance and reliability. We are monitoring network usage and watching the load on the network both nationally and locally, and to date it is performing well.
  • Today is National Census Day and Comcast NBCUniversal and Telemundo are supporting the 2020 Census by encouraging Americans to participate in the first ever digital census.
    • Comcast produced and will air Census 2020 PSAs on Telemundo and NBC stations featuring Joy Reid, Host of AM Joy and Jose Diaz-Balart, Anchor of Noticiero Telemundo, with the goal of increasing general awareness of the census
    • Comcast has partnered with community organizations and leaders to create and air PSAs and short-form news segments to further explain the census and help individuals understand the significance of being counted, including PSAs translated into Spanish and several Asian languages.
    • We are also supporting local nonprofit partners who are working within cities to educate communities on the importance of completing the census and providing the training necessary to allow community members to complete the census forms online
    • Recognizing that communities across the country may have questions about the 2020 Census, Comcast will launch a Census 2020 Destination on our Xfinity X1 platform. X1 customers will simply say, “Census” into their voice remote to access the latest Census web clips, news segments, and more

 

Programming Updates

• Through April 6, Xfinity customers can enjoy a free preview of Starz through our Xfinity On Demand platforms. This free preview is available to all Xfinity customers including non-Xfinity TV subscribers. Non-Xfinity TV customers can watch on Xfinity Stream using their Xfinity ID and password.

CTAC Meeting Minutes March 4, 2020 —–FINAL

Attending members: 
Peaches Quinn – (New Haven) –  Acting Chair
George Alexander – (Hamden) – Treasurer
Yvonne Manning-Jones  – (New Haven) – Advisor
Laurel Coleman – (Hamden) – Advisor
Anthony Cardo – (Hamden) – Advisor
Johnes Ruta – (New Haven) – Acting Secretary

Jeff Weiss – public (New Haven resident)

Meeting called to order at 6:01 pm.

1. Minutes

2. PQ request: Attach Laurel’s questions re annual report to March minutes . Minutes to be amended accordingly, then move to approve at May meeting.

   2.   Annual Report

   a. Peaches noted last page of several monthly minutes were somehow truncated in collating process.

Laurel made motion for PQ to make any remaining correction from Laurel’s list, re-collate report and resubmit to PURA. George seconded motion. Motion carries.

3. Treasurer’s Report

4. George stated current CTAC Fund balance is $9,178.67.
5. George received bill for CTAC US Post Office Box for the period March 2020 to 2021 in the amount $254.00. George made motion to pay bill.   Anthony seconded. Motion approved.
6. Provider Reports
7. Comcast – None
8. CTV – None

PQ circulates summary description of PURA Docket 20-01-34 (declaratory ruling) described in an email from [email protected] 1/15/20 which is believed to be a threat to the financing and existence of CTV. PQ made motion to apply vigor to invitations to Joe Schofield to attend the next CTAC meeting to describe further and comment. Anthony seconded this Motion. Vote unanimous to accept.

4. 4. Old Business
5. CTAC   PSA
   PSA taped today. All participated except Anthony Cardo who did not receive notification (Anthony still does not receive CTAC emails) and John. Laurel and will review tape when it is ready.

PQ made motion to do second tape before August (8/5) meeting. Yvonne seconded and motion carried. All agreed more rehearsal needed.

5. CTAC Community Giving
6. In the February meeting, George Alexander made a Motion, and Johnes seconded for a CTAC Grant of $2,000 to Partnerships Adult Day Care in Hamden and Hannah Gray Elder Residence in New Haven.   The Motion was suspended at that time in order to identify a senior day care or residence in West Haven. None found. PQ remade original motion. Johnes seconds. Re-motion carries. George will send out checks.

   6.   New Business

   a. CT Statewide Video Advisory

A CTAC member is needed to attend quarterly Statewide Advisory meetings per State Statute 16-331i. (a)There shall be a State Wide Advisory Council, whose membership is made up of one representative from each of the existing advisory councils established pursuant to section 16-331.

Motion to designate not raised. Meeting ran too late.

b. CTAC Community Giving – Target Vets

After much discussion motion made to have Anthony continue researching possible not for profit groups or organizations that serve Vets. Johnes seconded. Motion carries.

1. Face Book

PQ motion made to create or update a FaceBook page for the CTAC. Motion amended to request Yvonne to followup, designate herself as an administrator and start updating the page. Johnes seconds. All agree.

 

7. 7. Subscriber Correspondence
   Check received for a subscriber payment to Comcast.. George made motion for PQ to forward check to Sharon, Comcast rep, for processing. Motion seconded and approved.

   c. Complaint letter sent to CTAC from a district subscriber to Frontier. Motion made to enter letter into the March Minutes. Johnes seconds this Motion. Motion approved. Motion also made for PQ to contact Frontier to request direction for forwarding letter. Motion seconded and approved.

 

 

 

7. Other
8. Non Agenda Item – Jeff Weiss , New Haven Resident, Self Intro and Request

   Jeff Weiss was welcomed and allowed to address Council to describe his credentials and desire to be appointed rep to the Statewide Video Services Council. Clarification made that per State Statute 16-331i representation comes from each local advisory council. Jeff would have to be on CTAC to be designated.

Peaches makes a motion to adjourn the meeting. Yvonne seconded motion. Motion approved.

Next Meeting to be Wednesday, April 1^st at offices of CTV at 6:00pm.

Meeting adjourned: 7:30 pm. March 4^th, 2020 Minutes respectfully submitted by Johnes Ruta (New Haven)    Acting Secretary.   March ^th, 2020.

 

* Frontier subscriber’s Letter of Complaint, postmarked February 21, 2020.

Public Utilities Regulatory Agency

Complaint Department

Ten Franklin Square

New Britain, Ct. 06051

Tad Weinstein

New Haven Area Cable TV Advisory Council

P.O. Box 8415

New Haven, CT 06530

To Whom lt May Concern,

I am writing on behalf of my parents Ed & Lorrie Schaefer who both passed away last year.

I served as their caregiver during the last few years of their lives and managed all of their

matters.

My parents were subscribers to Frontier Communications.

I am writing regarding two separate issues with Frontier which demonstrate that Frontier is

poorly managed and has a terrible customer service department. Frontier Communications

service is unacceptable and they do not deserve a license in the state of CT.

lssue #1:

I’ll start with the most recent matter. My parents house was contracted to be sold and at the last

minute, the buyers reneged on the deal. I had previously disconnected service.

I called Frontier to re-install the telephone as I needed it for the security system. I scheduled an

appointment for the earliest possible date and made arrangements for a colleague to wait for

the Frontier Service installer to show up as I needed to be at work.

Despite receiving numerous texts from Frontier conflrming the appointment, no one from

Frontier ever showed up and no one from Frontier contacted me. I tried to call Frontier and

waited on hold for 35 minutes and finally gave up. To add insult to injury I paid the person to

wait for the Frontier service person as I was unable to be there.

I was so angry and frustrated I called Frontier to cancel the order. (Cancellation # 059988614).

Shortly thereafter, I received an invoice from Frontier for $116.37.

I called at least three times over the course of the next three months to request a credit as I

NEVER received service. Each time, I waited on hold for a very long time and was told that my

case would be referred to the dispute department. I was told I would hear from someone and I

never did. Finally, in January I called Frontier one last time and I was told that my request for a

credit was denied as they claim that they sent someone out to the house several days after my

original service date. No one was at the house, so there is no way that they could have entered

the house. Phone service was NEVER activated.

Two weeks ago, I received a letter from a collection agency. I called them and explained the

situation and stated that I have no intention of paying the $116.37.

lf anything, Frontier should pay me the $100 I paid my colleague to wait at the house for the

original appointment. Plus they should reimburse me for all of the time I have spent trying to

straighten out this matter.

Account # 203-387 -9 17 9-082419-5

Leslye Schaefer

420 Grove Beach Road North

Westbrook, CT.06498

For service at

40 Byron Place

New Haven, Ct 06515

lssue # 2:

When I originally cancelled my parents triple play service (phone, internet and TV), I looked

online (after waiting 40 minutes on hold for an operator) to find a location to return the Frontier

equipment. I went to the location on Orange street in New Haven, but it turns out the website

information was incorrect and it was not possible to return equipment at that location.

I called Frontier (and waited on hold a long time) and cancelled their service. Then I received

an invoice for the next month. Subsequently I called to say that my parents had passed away

and no one lived in the house, that the equipment had been disconnected and that I had called

a month earlier to disconnect (disconnect # 059451930). Frontier stated that I had to pay for the

next 30 days despite not having service. This seems completely unreasonable to me. My

parents were customers for many years and always paid on time.

I paid the invoice as I did not have the time or energy to argue.

Account # 203- 397-3596-0 507 17 -5

Edwin Schaefer

40 Byron Place

New Haven, Ct 06515

There is nothing to be done for issue #2, but I would appreciate your help on issue #1.

Frontier Communications does not deserve to have a service license. They are completely

incompetent, sloppy and disrepectful of consumers.

I request that you & the Cable TV Advisory Council revoke Frontier’s license.

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

Leslye Schaefer