June 2020

CTAC Meeting Minutes   June 3, 2020 – ZOOM 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 Codeane – Comcast Represntative – not in attendence.
Joe Schofield         – CTV Represntative – not in attendence.

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

1,   MAY 6 2020     CTAC Minutes
a.    May Minutes – Anthony Cardo points out that “Anber Oakes” name in section 2, paragraph b     was misspelled. Should be “Abner Oakes”. Peaches indicates that “at VA” in that sentence
should be eliminated. Johnes will correct these items and resubmit.

2.     TREASURER’S REPORT
George. Alexander states that the bank balance for CTAC’s account is $4,778.35.
No expenditures (or account income) during May. Balance is same as previous month.

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

3.   CTV Report

Peaches received a note from Joe Schofield that CTV studios will reopen by July 3.

4.     COMCAST

5. Peaches received correspondence from Locke & Lord, regarding Comcast changes:
   starting May 5 CLIO Network will be moved to Expanded Basic. Force Entertainment
   will be renamed, and on or before June 30, Bases Loaded services has terminated
   Comcast.

   b.   Johnes ask if we can get more than just an announcement as to explain to the public
   (and to PURA) with detailed reasons for what reasons that Comcast eliminates service.
   Peaches states that this is out of our CTAC jurisdiction, that we have no control, and
   that these are their prerogative corporate marketing decisions. .
   c.   Peaches recommends that Johnes draft a private letter to Comcast to complain, and says
   that she has not had time to focus on. these issues during the Covid-19 pandemonium.
   Johnes notes that the Covid-19 situation has forced the public to remain in their homes
   for three months, unable to go to movies, concerts, or ball-games. Johnes is concerned
   that Comcast continually takes advantage of its captive franchise subscribers to
   inexplicably eliminate service channels (thus reducing their vendor costs) and
   annually raise their base rates and package rates. Johnes notes that actual cable
   service distribution circuitry costs have not been provided so that rates are
   substantiated.   Peaches presses Johnes to compose a letter to Comcast and
   Frontier to substantiate vendor, marketing, and service costs.
   Peaches states that she will not support this Motion.

   d     George talks about Wifi being offered by Comcast and how this will affect rates
   in the future. . Peaches talks about TeleHealth, a Wifi system foer home-based
   medical sevices, that will available in the future and needed by elder residents.

   e.   Johnes makes a Motion that CTAC will draft a letter to the Board of Directors of
   Comcast Xfinity requesting detailed substantive explanations for policies and
   practices and data about services and their vendor costs.

   f.   George notes that internet would not be a problem if the City of New Haven would
   have its own internet for all, such as “New Haven Internet.” Options for television
   services aside from Comcast, Frontier, and satellite services. Peaches also mentions
   Roku, Hulu, Youtube, and Google TV.

   Peaches makes a Motion to that CTAC should draft a letter to the Mayors and City
   Councils of New Haven, Hamden, and West Haven urging need for a free Internet
   service for all city residents of these three towns. Johnes second this Motion.
   Vote to accept Motion is unanimous.

   g.     George makes a further Motion to add instructions to the CableAdvisory.org
   website for input of public comments and complaints about cable television
   services. Laurel, acting on behalf of constituents, comments that people do not
   often complain about deficiencies in paid for services, but sometimes do not
   speak up.

   5.   OLD BUSINESS

   a.   Community Awards – Anthony Cardo: update of the Veteran Award;   Anthony states that
   the VA has not yet responded during this month period.

   b.   Yvonne as Administrator of the CTAC Facebook page now has full authority. The
   group page name has been changed as previously requested.

   c.   CTAC PSA – Laurel: updates last month’s status that work on the PSA still has not
   proceed because CTV studios are currently closed due to the pandemic.

   d. 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.

   e.      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                   be drawn into providing critical personal information to fraudulent perpetrators.

   Peaches has made follow up contacts with at Comcast to provide more feedback
   about actions being taken on these fraudulent email announcements and any malware
   being opened to by subscribers inadvertently accessing these links.

   George has identified the source of dozens of spams each day coming to the
   CableAdvisory.org webmail which are jamming the InBox . All these SPAM emails
   are identified as coming from [email protected].

   6. NEW BUSINESS
               None.

   7. SUBSCRIBER CORRESPONDENCE.

        None this month as Post Office hasa not been visited.

   8.   MAY MINUTES.
   
   Peaches makes Motion to accept the May Minutes with the spelling corrections stated in
   this report Item #1.   George seconds the Motion. All agreed.
   
   Next meeting set for July 1, 2020, as ZOOM teleconference.

   Meeting Adjourned by Peaches Quinn 7:02 pm.

June 3^rd 2020 CTAC Meeting Minutes respectfully submitted by Johnes Ruta, (New Haven)
Acting Secretary, June 16, 2020.