September 3, 2014 Minutes
MINUTES of CTAC of Hamden, New Haven and West Haven
Meeting Date: September 3, 2014
Call to order: A regular monthly meeting of CTAC was held at CTV, 843 State Street, New Haven, Connecticut on Wednesday, September 3, 2014. Chair Tad Weinstein presiding. Don Levy secretary. Meeting called to order at 6:10.
Members in attendance:
Tad Weinstein, Chair (WH)
Peaches Quinn (NH)
George Alexander, Treasurer (H)
Don Levy, Secretary (H)
Johnes Ruta, (NH)
Non-member CTV Representative: Joe Scofield present
Minutes of August 6, 2014 meeting approved.
Joe presented the CTV report. CTV has purchased hardware capable of live streaming of video from anywhere in three municipality area capable of sending and receiving WiFi. Members expressed interest in this new capacity. Some said live video feeds from public events could enhance the public service component of CTV’s efforts. Joe also indicated that he has not received any indication from AT&T that it is willing to provide the requisite video lines necessary to allow U-verse subscribers to receive the CTV productions that these subscribers are paying for as part of their monthly fees. Joe indicated that the fact that AT&T is going to transfer ownership of the business to another company in the next few months is reason to conclude that they are not going to fund any new service. Joe indicated that he is going to try to connect with a representative of the incoming service to request that that entity provide lines necessary to make CTV programming available to its customers as soon as possible.
George Alexander read large portions of letters he had received on behalf of CTAC from a New Haven landlord and property owner, Jonathon Eaton, which complained of how difficult it had been for him to discontinue COMCAST service and to determine how to return the COMCAST equipment left at his building by a tenant who had moved out. The board voted to direct Chair Weinstein to contact COMCAST representative Sharon Codeanne. One motion requested that Chair Weinstein ask Ms. Codeanne to research Mr. Eaton’s complaints and to report what she learned to CTAC. A second motion was brought to the floor asking Chair Weinstein to request that Ms. Codeanne ask that the local COMCAST official whose job it is to establish policies in the area of how COMCAST Customer Service representatives handle customer requests to terminate COMCAST service address the next meeting to enlighten the board on policies relating to requests to terminate service. Both motions passed.
Co-Chair Peaches Quinn volunteered to contact the appropriate officials in each of the school districts covered by CTAC to make sure they had been made aware of CTAC’s current Video Excellence Award Contest and to answer any outstanding questions they had. Secretary Levy said he would forward all the contact information he had gathered with regard to the school superintendents to Ms. Quinn to facilitate her outreach.
Secretary Levy noted the number CTAC seats which are vacant and the difficulty of doing CTAC business when a quorum is not present because of the vacancies. Levy volunteered to do personal outreach to find new members from Hamden and asked all other members to make efforts to find new members from their towns as well.
Meeting was adjourned at 7:20.
Submitted by Don Levy
CTAC Secretary