November 2, 2022 Minutes
Tom Costa
Acting (November 2022) Recording Secretary
September 7, 2022 Minutes
Minutes from the Cable Television Advisory Council Zoom Meeting for September 7, 2022
Advisors Present:
Peaches Quinn – Chairperson (New Haven)
George Alexander – Treasurer (Hamden)
Yvonne Manning-Jones – Advisor (New Haven)
Melissa Canham-Clyne – Advisor (Hamden)
Johnes Ruta – Secretary (New Haven)
Amy Horan – Comcast Representative
Advisors absent:
Laurel Coleman — Vice-Chair (Hamden)
Tom Costa – Advisor (New Haven Library System)
Providers:
Joe Schofield – CTV Representative – Absent
. Call to Order & Roll Call: 6:07 Meeting held via Zoom.
Mutual introductions with the Council member Amy Horan, the new Comcast Representative. II. July Meeting Minutes George pointed out two typos still in the Final Draft version: There are two Roman numeral designations for New Business – III and IX. Johnes indicates these were because the topic of New Business came up a second time chronologically in the meeting. Johnes will consolidate these and re-submit. Approval vote therefore is delayed. III. Treasurer’s Report George Alexander reported a current balance of $5,200.33 in the council’s checking account. Previous charges were $300 for CTAC meeting at Playwright Grill June dinner (no alcohol was included in the bill); also a $500 Donation to the New Haven Public Library John Jessen Memorial Fund (Mr. Jessen was New Haven City Librarian and previously a member of CTAC). No changes since the July meeting. IV. CTV Community Television – Joe Schofield’s Report a. Joe Schofield was not present. No report. b. CTV studios are still closed to production sessions due to Covid. c. The CTAC Public Service Announcement is not yet being shown of CTV channels because the CTV studios are still closed to the public and CTV I short-staffed. d. Addendum: The Connecticut state Legislature has passed new Community Access fees for all Cable and Internet (streaming & internet browser access, new fees to take effect on October 1st, this year.
V. Comcast Report – Amy Horan’s Report
a. Amy Horan reported the continuation of the “Internet Essentials” program,
and that the monthly fee has dropped from $29.99 to $9.99 for eligible
subscribers who do not already have discount services. Subscribers qualify
who have Medicade, SNAP, SSI, or Survivor’s Pensions Program.
Melissa Canham-Coyne also adds that some subscribers can also qualify for
equipment, such as $149 for a laptop. Possibly can qualify for that at $0.00.
b. Comcast’s offer for their Internet Only package rate is $39.99 per month,
available to those currently subscribed.
c. George Alexander raises question regarding public complaints of high rates
for extras such as HBO, Showtime, etc.
George asks” “What is the minimum rate for internet service only?
Amy Horan replies that this low-cost subscription option will be available
for the next 5 years. She notes that the outreach offer for this program has
received few responses, and that her office is working hard to get the message
out. Peaches Quinn notes that “messages don’t always work…”
VI. Election and installation of new CTAC Officers as required by our By-Laws.
Johnes Ruta was elected as new Chairperson.
George Alexander was elected to remain as Treasurer.
Co-Chair office was nominated.
Secretary was not nominated, but determined to be a “rotating office by all members.
Peaches Quinn make a Motion to accept this slate of Officers. Johnes Ruta seconds
this Motion. Vote is unanimous of attendees.
VII. New Business
a. Peaches Quinn specifies the By-Laws Requirement of the Annual Yearly CTAC
Report to PURA. “There is half of a year to prepare this report.”
b. Topics needing to be addressed at the October meeting next month:
(1) Internet Access for the public.
(2) Membership positions needing to be filled: West Haven has not provided
CTAC Member Representative since resignation of Tad Weinstein in 2019.
c. Melissa Canham-Coyne mentions a new public service radio station operating
in Hamden, that CTAC should contact for broadcast of our PSAs.
Meeting Adjournment
The next CTAC meeting set for Wednesday, October 12th, 2022, at 6:00 PM,
rather than the first Wednesday of the month this time.
7:15 PM, Peaches Quinn makes a Motion to adjourn the meeting, 2nded by Johnes Ruta.
The Motion is approved unanimously.
Minutes Submitted 09/28/2022 by: Johnes Ruta.
July 6, 2022 Minutes
Final Draft Minutes from the Cable Television Advisory Council
Zoom Meeting for July 6, 2022
Advisors Present:
Peaches Quinn – Chairperson (New Haven)
George Alexander – Treasurer (Hamden)
Yvonne Manning-Jones – Advisor (New Haven)
Melissa Canham-Clyne – Advisor (Hamden)
Tom Costa – Advisor (New Haven Library System)
Johnes Ruta – Secretary (New Haven)
Advisors absent:
Laurel Coleman — Vice-Chair (Hamden)
Providers:
Joe Schofield – CTV Representative – Absent
Amy Horan – Comcast Representative – Absent
I. Call to Order & Roll Call: 6:19 Meeting held via Zoom.
II. June Minutes – written and submitted by Johnes Ruta.
a. Several modifications had been requested by George Alexander and were
incorporated by Johnes during June.
b. Yvonne made a Motion to accept the June Minutes as submitted, without further modification. George seconded it. Vote is unanimous, and the June Minutes will
be submitted as Final to George for posting on the CTAC website.
III. Treasurer’s Report
a. George Alexander reported a current balance of $5,202.33 in the council’s checking account. $801 was spent for annual dinner meeting at Playwright Grill.
IV. CTV Community Television – Joe Schofield’s Report
a. Joe Schofield was not present. No report.
b. CTV studios are still closed to production sessions due to Covid. But programming
on all CTV Channels 26, 27, & 96 has been consistent.
V. Comcast Report – Amy Horan’s Report
a. Amy Horan was not present. She has not attended or communicated with CTAC
since her appointment upon Sharon Codeanne was appointed to different
Comcast position. We have Amy’s phone, and it is discussed whether we should
reach out to her to attend a meeting.
b. It is needed to clarify whether Comcast’s offer for their Internet Only package
for $39.99 per month is to be available to those currently subscribed.
c. It is learned at High Speed Internet must be 25 Gigabyte download speed.
VI. Frontier Report
a. July meeting – representative did not attend.
VII. Old Business
a. CTAC Public Service Announcement: video of members not yet implemented, but
there is a screen card occasionally shown indicating CTAC is seeking new members.
b. Community Awards: Still due to lack of communication with the public,
the Community Awards outreach program has been deferred to 2023.
c. West Haven still has not provided CTAC member representation.
d. SB 278 has now been passed in the CT Legislature and signed by Gov. Lamont
on May 31, so that the 86 cent charge will take effect on all Cable TV and Internet
Billing as of October 1, 2022.
VIII. Subscriber Issues
No items brought forth.
IX. Other Topics
a. Council Officers – September 1st will be the new year of State Business, so CTAC
Officers must be nominated and elected.
b. Peaches makes a Motion for Nomination Committee to consist of Tom Costa
and Melissa Canham-Clyne for all CTAC posts: Chairperson, Vice-Chair,
Treasurer, and Secretary.
X. New Business a. Sexual Harassment Training update: It is learned that this 2-hour online training and testing course will only apply to actual employees of cable companies, and will not be required of volunteers, such as CTAC members. b. George Alexander withdraws his Motion at the June meeting that the volunteers of CTAC be required to take the same Sexual Harassment Training. c. Peaches make a Motion to skip the August meeting. Yvonne seconds this Motion. Vote is unanimous, d. George Alexander raises the issue of the CTAC Budget amount for dining for the members. Johnes makes a Motion for outdoor dining for our next meeting. George recommends Wood & Tap with an outdoor deck in Hamden Plaza, Johnes’ Motion is tabled. e. Peaches makes a Motion that the members adhere to the ground-rule for dining that no alcoholic beverages be paid for by individual members rather than the group bill – per unit maximum; also that members adhere to wearing masks according to “Best Covid Practices.” Motion is seconded by Johnes, vote is unanimous, f. George makes a Motion for outreach to the governing bodies of each town in our district – for new members, according to the open positions and the number of members allowed per each town and for Library systems and Board of Educations. g. It is advised to see the cableadvisory.org website to review the By-Laws mandated by PURA of our responsibilities, Melissa second George’s Motion, Vote is unanimous. h. By-Laws note: Each town has 4 regular Advisors, Library Systems are represented by one advisor for all three towns. Boards of Education are to be represented by one Advosor for each town.
i. Two boxes of CTAC archive records from the 1990s are in the possession
of Johnes, and are to be stored in the Governors’ Records Archive at the
New Haven Museum on Whitney Avenue. Johnes will meet with Tom Costa
on one of three days in July – the 25th, 26th , or 27th.
Meeting Adjournment
Next CTAC meeting set for Wednesday, September 7th, 2022, 6:00 PM.
It will be discussed during July and August whether the September meeting
will be at a pizza location.
7:30 PM, Johnes makes a Motion to adjourn the meeting, 2nded by Peaches
The Motion is approved unanimously.
Minutes Submitted 07/19/2022 by: Johnes Ruta, Secretary.
June 1, 2022 Minutes
Minutes from the Cable Television Advisory Council
Meeting for June 1, 2022
@ The Playwright Grill, Hamden
Advisors Present:
Peaches Quinn – Chairperson (New Haven)
George Alexander – Treasurer (Hamden)
Anthony Cardo – Assistant Secretary (Hamden)
Melissa Canham-Clyne – Advisor (Hamden)
Tom Costa – Advisor (New Haven Library System)
Johnes Ruta – Secretary (New Haven)
Advisors absent:
Laurel Coleman — Vice-Chair (Hamden)
Yvonne Manning-Jones – Advisor (New Haven)
Providers:
Joe Schofield – CTV Representative – Absent
Amy Horan – Comcast Representative – Absent
I. Call to Order & Roll Call: 6:18
Motion – George Alexander makes a Motion for the CTAC Dinner Bill here at Playwright, and henceforth, not to include alcoholic drinks. Melissa Canham-Clyne
2nds this Motion. Vote is unanimous.
II. May Minutes – written and submitted by Anthony Cardo.
a. No Revisions were suggested to the draft of the May Minutes by the members present.
b. Johnes made a Motion to accept the May Minutes as submitted, without modification. Peaches seconded it. Vote is unanimous, and the May Minutes will be submitted
to George for posting on the CTAC website.
III. Treasurer’s Report
- George Alexander reported a current balance of $6,003.43 in the council’s checking account.
IV. CTV Community Television – Joe Schofield’s Report
a. Joe Schofield was not present.b. It was reported that SB278 was passed in two parts by the CT House and Senate
and signed by Gov. Ned Lamont on May 31, 2022. It takes effect October 1, 2022.
This Bill expands the Community Access Fee charged by Cable providers (86 cents per month) to include Internet-only providers.c. George Alexander questions how will Cable Companies be aware to charge all
subscribers and to facilitate the fee accordingly?
- Peaches wants to know if the passed final Bill is the same as the first Draft ?
It is speculated that Joe Schofield will know the answer to this question.
- Comcast Report – Amy Horan’s Report
- Amy Horan was not present.
b. Comcast is launching a new streaming service in collaboration with Charter.
- Frontier Report
(May meeting note: Prior to this month’s meeting, Peaches sent out a copy of the minutes for the bi-monthly statewide meetings which included the Frontier report.)
VII. Old Business
a. CTAC Public Service Announcement: Laurel advised via email that there has been no change of status of the PSA.
- Community Awards: Still due to lack of communication with the public,
the Community Awards outreach program has been deferred to 2023.c. West Haven still has not provided CTAC member representation.
VIII. New Business
- The CTAC membership expresses sympathies over the passing of the New Haven
City Librarian John Jessen, age 56, last week due to his long battle with cancer.
When first appointed City Librarian of New Haven, John Jessen graced CTAC
meetings with his constructive, affable, highly intelligent representation of
the Library System, and for the entire community. His contributions will be missed.b. Anthony Cardo makes a Motion for CTAC to provide a gift of $500 to the memory
of John Jessen to the New Haven Library Foundation. Johnes 2nds this Motion,
and it is carried unanimously. -
George Alexander makes a Motion that the members, volunteers, of the Cable
Television Advisory Council be required to take the same Sexual Harassment
Training the same as paid-employees. There is discussion regarding specifics of
of the program and whether the state Statute requires training for volunteers.
This is a 2-hour online program with testing at the end.Peaches makes a new Motion that more research be done about state law requiring
sexual harassment training with regards to local law mandating the volunteers
mandating such training. Melissa Canham-Clyne 2nds this Motion; the vote is
unanimous. Melissa will follow up. -
Anthony Cardo announces his resignation from CTAC following this meeting,
due to a meeting scheduling conflict since becoming a member of VA Veterans
Commission in Hamden. All CTAC members express sadness for the loss of
our Assistant Secretary member and friend of several years.
Meeting Adjournment
Next CTAC meeting set for July 6tht, 2022, 6:00 PM. It will be discussed during June
by members whether the July meeting will be at a pizza location.
At 8:15 PM, Peaches makes a Motion to adjourn the meeting, and Melissa
2nds this Motion. The Motion is approved unanimously.
Minutes Submitted 06/08/2022 by: Johnes Ruta, Secretary.
May 4, 2022 Minutes
Minutes from the Cable Television Advisory Council (final)
ZOOM Meeting for May 4, 2022
Advisors Present:
Alexander (Hamden) – Treasurer
Anthony Cardo (Hamden) – Assistant Secretary
Yvonne Manning-Jones (New Haven)
Johnes Ruta (New Haven) – Secretary
Advisors absent:
Peaches Quinn (New Haven) – Chair George
Melissa Canham-Clyne (Hamden)
Tom Costa (New Haven Library System)
Laurel Coleman (Hamden) – Vice-Chair
Providers:
Joe Schofield – CTV Representative – Absent
Amy Horan – Comcast Representative – Absent
I. Call to Order & Roll Call: 6:04
II. April Minutes – written and submitted by Johnes Ruta.
a. No Revisions were suggested to the draft of the April Minutes by the members present.
b. Yvonne made a motion to accept the April Minutes as submitted, Anthony seconded it.
The vote was carried and the Minutes will be submitted to George for posting on the CTAC website.
III. Treasurer’s Report
- George Alexander reported a current balance of $6,032.93 in the council’s checking account.
IV. CTV Community Television – Joe Schofield’s Report
a. Joe Schofield was not present and no report was provided in his absence.
- Comcast Report – Amy Horan’s Report
- Prior to this month’s meeting, Sharon Codeanne emailed the council to inform them of her that she will no longer be the council’s point of contact with Comcast. The new point of contact will be Amy Horan, who is their new Comcast Government Affairs Manager and is based out of their Berlin, CT regional headquarters.
- Frontier Report
- Prior to this month’s meeting, Peaches sent out a copy of the minutes for the bi-monthly statewide meetings which included the Frontier report.
VII. Old Business
a. CTAC Public Service Announcement: (deferred to October)
– Johnes reported that our banner message asking for new members is still being run on CTV’s channel.
- Facebook/Website Update: Yvonne and George reported that there were no updates to the website or Facebook page as of this meeting.
- Community Awards: no update.
- SB 278 status: Yvonne reported that the letter was sent to each of the town representatives of Hamden, New Haven, and West Haven. As of this meeting, there was no response nor update on the progress of the bill.
VIII. New Business
- No new business
- Subscriber Issues
- Yvonne reported that she had issues with trying to change her Comcast plan online because after following the steps she had to then call a phone number to be able to complete her request to change her subscription status. There was no way for her to complete her request online although Comcast falsely provides a link for customers to do so.
- Johnes reported that he received a notice that his automatic payment did not go through and after several phone calls to Comcast, he found out that the notification was a false announcement.
- Other Topics
- Yvonne asked if CTV has reopened to the public or if anyone knew when they planned to reopen? No one knew at the time Yvonne asked her question.
- Jonnes asked about having an in-person dinner meeting for our next meeting in June and also mentioned continuing the conversation through email. George responded to Johnes’s suggestion by heeding we take caution due to Covid still being an issue.
Meeting Adjournment
Next CTAC meeting set for Zoom call, Wednesday, June 1st, 2022, 6:00 PM.
At 6:47 PM, Anthony made a Motion to adjourn the meeting, and Yvonne seconded the Motion. The Motion was unanimous.
Minutes Submitted 05/11/2022 by: Anthony Cardo, Assistant Secretary Anthony Cardo
Johnes Ruta, Secretary
Cable Frequently Asked Questions
Last Revised July 20, 2020
10 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051
An Equal Opportunity Employer
www.ct.gov/pura
STATE OF CONNECTICUT
PUBLIC UTILITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY
Cable Sector Frequently Asked Questions
PURA Cable Sector Regulation Information
Who regulates cable rates? Under state and federal law, PURA is unable to regulate cable rates.
Does PURA regulate satellite providers of television service?
PURA does not have jurisdiction over satellite providers of television service. Although the Authority does not have jurisdiction, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection may be able to assist you with unresolved complaints involving satellite providers of television service. You may write to Consumer Protection at the following address:
Department of Consumer Protection
165 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
Customer Complaints Related to Cable Service
Who should I contact about a cable company related complaint?
You should always contact your cable company first when you have a complaint. In many cases, the customer service representatives at your cable company will be able to assist you and solve your problem. The telephone number for your cable company should be on your cable bill.
Your cable company has jurisdiction over the following issues:
Programming carried on the system. With the exception of rules that require cable systems to carry certain local broadcast stations, cable systems decide which programming services to carry. Therefore, you should contact your cable system if it has dropped a particular channel.
Carriage of FM and AM radio stations.
Charges for pay-per-view or pay-per-channel programming. The rates charged for this type of programming are not regulated.
Additional Efforts to Increase Participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
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April 6, 2022 Minutes
Minutes from the Cable Television Advisory Council
ZOOM Meeting for April 6, 2022
Advisors Present:
Peaches Quinn (New Haven) – Chair George Alexander (Hamden) – Treasurer
Tom Costa (New Haven Library System)
Anthony Cardo (Hamden) – Assistant Secretary
Yvonne Manning-Jones (New Haven)
Johnes Ruta (New Haven) – Secretary
Advisors absent:
Melissa Canham-Clyne (Hamden)
Laurel Coleman (Hamden) – Vice-Chair Yvonne Manning Jones (New Haven)
Providers:
Joe Schofield – CTV Representative – Absent
Sharon Codeane – Comcast Representative – Present
I. Call to Order & Roll Call: 6:05
II. March Minutes – written and submitted by Anthony Cardo.
a. No Revisions were suggested to the draft of the March Minutes by the members present.
b. Johnes makes Motion to accept the March Minutes as submitted. Tom Costa seconds
Motion. Vote carried, with Peaches Quinn abstaining, as she was not at the March
Zoom meeting. Minutes will be submitted to George for posting on the CTAC
website.
III. Treasurer’s Report
- George Alexander reported no changes or monies spent since March report.
IV. CTV Community Television – Joe Schofield’s report.
a. Joe Schofield reported the Staff meeting at CTV concerning reopening the State Street facility after recent Covid surges. CTV has a medical doctor on the Board of
Directors who reaffirms concern about opening the CTV studios because of new surge. Peaches Quinn asks Joe who is on the CTV Staff now – Joseph reports
all staff have survived through the pandemic so far. - George Alexander points out that all Public Access channel outlets have funding
issues. A CTV interactive Program Guide for channels, but the only program
listing still are available only on the CTV website.c. Question to Laurel (who is absent) whether the 2020 PSA for CTAC has yet been
completed for CTV airing. Unresolved.d. Council discussion of pending legislation CT (Senate Bill) S.B. 278, which
presently has 24 of 26 votes in the Communications Committee. It is our wish
and purpose to advocate for this Bill as it will fully arrange funding for the
state’s Community Access Channels on cable outlets and provide the annual
stipend for the state’s Cable Advisory Councils:Peaches Quinn: “This Bill means that every cable company will contribute
an 86 cent charge to BOTH cable television subscribers and internet access subscribers as well.” Joe Scofield points out that presently “only cable television subscribers see this charge on their monthly bill. This is a Community Access
Fee equal to 4.11 % of our budget requirements, as cable television subscriber
membership has been steadily declining over the past several years, due to the
availability of many video movie & news streaming services, from 70,00 subscribers 15 years ago to 40,000 subscribers now.”
Peaches recommends that CTAC produce a group letter (via email) to state
CTAC’s advocacy of SB#278 to our respective city state legistators. Joe Schofield will compose a list of talking points for our advocacy, and Johnes
Ruta will be appointed to these points to produce a draft letter to Peaches
and a final Letter of Recommendation to Yvonne Manning-Jones to be sent
to our CT legislators. Yvonne make a Motion for this proposal. Johnes
seconds the Motion. Vole unanimous. - Comcast Report – Sharon Codeanne – not present
No new Comcast report available, but during March, Sharon Codeanne had distributed three Comcast flyers announcing the reduction of Internet Essentials monthly charges
to $0.00 for subscribers who qualify according to their reported income.
March 2, Comcast Report
• Comcast is supporting our customers by providing them with important information and
resources and helping them stay connected with loved ones:
o By saying “Ukraine crisis” into our X1 Voice Remote, customers can access a new destination across X1 and Flex featuring the latest news as it develops, information on how to support those in need, and resources to help parents talk about the situation with their children.
o We’re also waiving charges for calls to Ukraine for Xfinity Mobile & Xfinity Voice customers through March 10, as well as all data and Global Travel Pass charges for Xfinity Mobile customers who may currently be in Ukraine.
Programming Updates
• Effective March 22, 2022:
o Afro HD will move from the Digital Preferred tier to the Expanded Basic and Entertainment tiers (will remain on channel 1623).
o Kids Street HD will be added to the Expanded Basic and Kids & Family tiers on channel 1772.
• Effective March 31, 2022, Fox Life will cease operations. Miscellaneous
• $2,000 Comcast stipend check deposited in January
- Frontier Report
No new Frontier report available.
VII. Old Business D. – CTAC Paper Archives from the 1990s
(There are two medium-size boxes of paper archive records that were transferred
at the October meeting at Luce’s Restaurant from the possession of George Alexander
to Johnes Ruta. The issue is where these records can be stored for safe-keeping?)
a. Tom Costa gave Johnes the contact info for the Local History Room at New Haven
Ives Library, to be inquired as a location: Allison Botelho 203-946-8130 x 245. Johnes has contacted Allison but she has denied his request to store the records at their library. because of insufficient space at NHFPL.
b. Tom Costa contacted Johnes to report that the boxes of past archive papers can be
placed into the Library’s “Government Documents Collection” but will need to be
sorted for this purpose. Johnes agrees to work with this solution. Tom makes Motion
to this effect. George Alexander seconds this Motion. Council unanimous.
VIII. New Business – attendance policy.
a. Peaches make Motion to waive the Attendance Requirement, regarding Laurel
Coleman’s absences. George Alexander acquiesces to this Motion with out contest at this time, and states that he will monitor her attendance.
- George reports that GoDaddy has discontinued its website email service connected
to our website cableadvisory.com and has implemented a transition to
MicroSoft 365 email system, for an additional annual charge.
Discussion about other options with GoDaddy website. Peaches make Motion
for George to follow-up on this issue. Johnes seconds. Motion carried.
- Meeting Adjournment
Next CTAC meeting set for Zoom call, Wednesday, May 4th, 2022, 6:00 PM.
6:56 PM, Jonhes Ruta made a Motion to adjourn the meeting.
Tom Costa seconded Motion. The Motion was unanimous.Minutes Submitted 04/21/2022 by: Johnes Ruta _Jonhes Ruta
Anthony Cardo, Assistant Secretary
March 2, 2022 Minutes
Minutes from the Cable Television Advisory Council
ZOOM Meeting for March 2, 2022
Advisors Present:
George Alexander (Hamden) – Treasurer
Johnes Ruta (New Haven) – Secretary
Melissa Canham-Clyne (Hamden)
Anthony Cardo (Hamden) – Assistant Secretary
Advisor absent:
Peaches Quinn (New Haven) – Chair
Laurel Coleman (Hamden) – Vice-Chair Yvonne Manning Jones (New Haven)
Tom Costa (New Haven Library System)
Providers:
Joe Schofield – CTV Representative – Absent
Sharon Codeane – Comcast Representative – Present
I. Call to Order & Roll Call: 6:07 P.M Johnes Ruta presiding.
II. February Minutes
a. No Revisions were suggested by the members present. An email will be sent out to all advisors for approval of the February Minutes.
III. Treasurer’s Report
- George Alexander reprted that the CTAC Fund Balance is $6,364.93. George also reported that the Post Office Box Bill is due by the end of the month and that he will pay it off. The Bill is for $332.00.
IV. CTV Community Television – Joe Schofield’s report.
a. No Update
- Comcast Report – Sharon Codeane
- Community Impact
- Comcast is supporting our customers by providing them with important information and resources and helping them stay connected with loved ones:
o By saying “Ukraine crisis” into our X1 Voice Remote, customers can access a new destination across X1 and Flex featuring the latest news as it develops, information on how to support those in need, and resources to help
parents talk about the situation with their children.
o We’re also waiving charges for calls to Ukraine for Xfinity Mobile & Xfinity Voice customers through March 10, as well as all data and Global Travel
Pass charges for Xfinity Mobile customers who may currently be in
Ukraine.
- Programming Updates
- Effective March 22, 2022:
o Afro HD will move from the Digital Preferred tier to the Expanded Basic and Entertainment tiers (will remain on channel 1623).
o Kids Street HD will be added to the Expanded Basic and Kids & Family tiers on channel 1772.
- Effective March 31, 2022, Fox Life will cease operations.
- Miscellaneous
- $2,000 Comcast stipend check deposited in January
- Frontier Report
- Peaches Quinn emailed a copy of the minutes from the Bi-monthly statewide meetings before the start of this month’s meeting which included a copy of the frontier report.
VII. Old Business
Old Business A. CTAC Public Service Announcement: Update Laurel
- Deferred to April
Old Business B. Facebook/Website Update Yvonne/George
- Deferred to April
Old Business C. – CTAC Community Award
a. Melissa Canham-Clyne reported that Laurel Coleman has resigned from the committee and the committee was thinking of including Tom Costa to the committee. Melissa also reported that the committee will be meeting again soon to figure out the requirements for the award and how to leverage the award to draw in interest from West Haven.
- George Alexander suggested to the committee to think about giving out the awards to the previous nonprofits that the Cable Advisory Committee has given out to before.
Old Business D. – CTAC Paper Archives from the 1990s
(There are two medium-size boxes of paper archive records that were transferred
at the October meeting at Luce’s Restaurant from the possession of George Alexander
to Johnes Ruta. The issue is where these records can be stored for safe-keeping?)
a. Tom Costa gave Johnes the contact info for the Local History Room at New Haven
Ives Library, to be inquired as a location: Allison Botelho 203-946-8130 x 245. Johnes has contacted Allison but she has denied his request to store the records at their library. She recommended him contact to New Haven Museum.
b. 3/2/2022 – Johnes reported: As of this meeting he hasn’t established contact with the New Haven Museum in regards to archiving the Committee’s records.
- George Alexander asked Melissa Canham-Clyne if the Hamden Library could archive and store the records. Melissa stated the Hamden Library did not have the room to do so.
VIII. New Business
- None
- Subscriber Issues
- George reported outside of spam emails, no update.
- Other Topics
- Johnes Ruta suggested that maybe for the May meeting the committee meet in person for another dinner meeting.
- Meeting Adjournment
Next CTAC meeting set for Zoom call, Wednesday, April 6th, 2022, 6:00 PM.
6:48 PM, Jonhes Ruta made a Motion to adjourn the meeting. George Alexander seconded it. The Motion was unanimous.
Minutes Submitted 3/5/2022 by: _Anthony Cardo ______________________________
Anthony Cardo, Assistant Secretary
Minutes Reviewed 3/15/2022 by: _Jonhes Ruta ______________________________
Johnes Ruta, Secretary
February 2, 2022 Minutes
Minutes from the Cable Television Advisory Council
ZOOM Meeting for February 2, 2022
Advisors Present:
Peaches Quinn (New Haven) – Chair
George Alexander (Hamden) – Treasurer
Laurel Coleman (Hamden) – Vice-Chair
Yvonne Manning Jones (New Haven)
Tom Costa (New Haven Library System)
Johnes Ruta (New Haven) – Secretary
Melissa Canham-Clyne (Hamden)
Advisor absent:
Anthony Cardo (Hamden) – Assistant Secretary
Providers:
Joe Schofield – CTV Representative – Present
Sharon Codeane – Comcast Representative
I. Call to Order & Roll Call: 6:05 P.M Peaches Quinn presiding.
II. Giovanni Zinn – New Haven City Engineer – CTAC Guest
a. CTAC members self-introductions by Peaches.
b. Giovanni Zinn (GZ), originally from Hamden, lives in New Haven.
(1) GZ talks about the community need for internet access, and how Comcast’s
provision of the Internet Essentials plan has helped low-income families who
qualify. He further discusses the so-called “Digital Divide” – the inequities
of internet technologies as they’ve been wired in different neighborhoods,
the wiring density and problems with electrical interference.
(2) GZ talks about economic opportunities in the New Haven/ Hamden/ West
Haven district.
(3) FIOS – Fiber Optic Operating System implementation. GZ talks about issues
regarding installation of FIOS wiring to all sections of New Haven, and issues
around in-ground or above ground lines.
(4) George Alexander raises questions about the status of the geographic connections of the New Haven / Hamden cable borders. Giovanni
Zinn replies: “We need to work together for this implementation.”
(5) Melissa Canham-Clyne asks about Infrastructure access for the public,
especially the connectivity in Senior housing. The elements are:
1. why people connect
2. what is the affordability of plans
3. are there Grants available, such as the Human IT plan in Califirnia?
(6) Internet as Infrastructure
(a) Peaches Quinn question: “Doe Infrastructure provide monetary funds for
internet training ?” GZ: “We will determine how to create Teaching Centers.” Peaches asks if we can involve Boards of Education to
develop digital literacy ? GZ: “We are developing ways to ‘plug’ the
digital gap [pun intended].”
(7) Tom Costa asks about the time frame for the funding of Fiber Optics
implementation. GZ: “Soon.”
(8) GZ talks about the need for digital literacy in order to help cable subscribers
with connectivity problems and how to describe them to cable technical support.
III. November Minutes
a. George Alexander says that requested corrections had not been made to the
documents, but then explains that his email had not received the corrected
Minutes that were sent to him.
- George Alexander’s Treasurer’s Report: CTAC Fund Balance is $6,364.93.
There was one expense in 2022 so far” Yvonne paid for GoDaddy SSL
Certificate $95.94.IV. CTV Community Television – Joe Schofield’s report.
a. Joe Schofiled says that the cut in CTV Funding during the pandemic has caused
CTV to lay-off all their Production Staff, as independent producers was totally
off during the pandemic, and the CTV facility closed (but for skeleton programming staff).b. Joe reports that CT-New Haven State Senator (Pro Tem) has joined support for
CT Senate Bill (yet unnamed) to benefit CTV.V. Old Business A. – CTAC Community Award
a. Peaches Quinn makes Motion to form an Award Committee in CTAC to be tasked
with writing two or three proposals as what to do to develop an award protocol? - Specifically, what is meant by each idea? Example: How to improve Digital
Literacy knowledge and access.c. George seconds this Motion. Vote unanimous. Laurel Coleman, Yvonne Manning-
Jones, and Melissa Canham-Clyne volunteer for this committee.VI. Old Business B. – CTAC Paper Archives from the 1990s
(There are two medium-size boxes of paper archive records that were transferred
at the October meeting at Luce’s Restaurant from the possession of George Alexander
to Johnes Ruta. The issue is where these records can be stored for safe-keeping?)Tom Costa gives Johnes the contact info for the Local History Room at New Haven
Ives Library, to be inquired as a location: Allison Botelho 203-946-8130 x 245.2/3/2022 – Johnes reporting: his contact with Ms. Botelho, but her question as to the
potential horizontal size of records to be stored and sorted and filed by subject would
be much more width than available in the Local History shelves…. Request denied.
Recommends contact to New Haven Museum.VII. Meeting Adjournment
Next CTAC meeting set for Zoom call, Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022, 6:00 PM.
7:30 PM, Peaches Quinn makes Motion to adjourn the meeting. Johnes Ruta seconds.
Motion unanimous.Minutes Submitted 2/22/2022 by: _Johnes Ruta ______________________________
Johnes Ruta, Secretary
(Anthony Cardo, Assistant Secretary)