6
Jun
2020

June 3, 2020 Minutes

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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

  1. 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 3rd 2020 CTAC Meeting Minutes respectfully submitted by Johnes Ruta, (New Haven)
Acting Secretary, June 16, 2020.