There is some good news to report…..in the short term. But keep the pressure on Charter until this is truly solved.
Charter Communications is postponing controversial plans to move its public-access channels into a digital service tier.
Meanwhile, Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, protested those plans on Friday in a complaint to the state’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Charter customers in Janesville recently received a brochure outlining the changes, which were to take effect Aug. 12.
Charter spokesman Tim Vowell said the changes won’t happen for several more weeks. A date hasn’t been set, but Vowell said it may be sometime between Sept. 16 and Oct. 1.
One of the reasons for the delay involves Charter’s discussions with the Wisconsin Association of PEG Access Channels, which represents stations such as Janesville’s JATV and the Janesville School District’s Channel 13.
Vowell would not say what those discussions were about, but association members have been upset that the change will cost some Charter subscribers an extra $5 month.
More damning news for Charter Communication as it attempts to destroy public access TV.
An association of Wisconsin public-access channels on Thursday strongly criticized a Charter Communications plan to change its cable TV service.
Charter’s plans would push its customers to buy into digital technology before most are ready for it, said Mary Bennin Cardona, executive director Wisconsin Association of PEG Access Channels.
“We’re really disappointed that they’re trying to push this. We think it’s discriminatory and really harmful to our communities,” Cardona said.
Charter spokesman Tim Vowell defended the company, saying very few customers are likely to be inconvenienced.
The changes were announced in a brochure mailed to customers last month. They included more entertainment channels and moving the public-access channels to the 900s, which are available only to those with digital TVs.
Not just any digital TV will do if customers want to view the digital channels, including the public-access channels. The TVs will need CableCard technology or something called a QAM tuner.
Customers could keep their older, analog TVs, but they would have to rent a digital-conversion box from Charter for $5 a month.
That is a rate increase.
Technorati Tags: CharterCommunications, PEGChannels, PublicAccess
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
Yes, it is a rate increase! Imagine the family that Charter calls a “digital home” in terms of Act 42: They might have one converter box that comes with their $45/month digital cable service.
But if they have three other TVs in the house, Charter’s answer is to have you rent three more converter boxes at $5 a month – presto, 33% rate hike – or buy all new TVs.
That says nothing about the 29.95 change of service fee. Because I wanted access to digital basic HD channels too, the box fee (with DVR) will cost me $15 a month. What they also don’t tell you is that digital menu will cost you an additional $5 extra a month.
I am not sure new TV’s solve the problem either. There is really no such thing as an HD antennae. I originally got basic cable because I could not get a clear picture with the antennae. Getting a new TV really does not solve problem.
At a minimum they should waive the 29.95 fee for basic subscribers. I thought I heard on the news that the $5 would be waived for the first year, but Charter has heard nothing of it.
I called Charter TV tech support today because all my expanded basic channels above 65 disapeared with thier changes. The Charter associate outright lied to me by saying that Charter did not make the digital channel miagration, she said the federal government and the networks like Fox News did the changes and to get those miagrated channels I would have to rent one of thier converter boxes for each of my TV’s. After contacting the folks at http://www.dtv.gov, they indicated that the the new DTV law only effects over the air analog broadcasts and is NOT mandated for Analog cable companies or any of the networks. They also said that it was purely Charter’s choice to move these channels to force customers to pay more money for an already over charged service. There has to be new laws enacted to keep money hungry cable companies like Charter Communication from raping the public and lying.
I have been trying to find out if my area/my TV will be “ready” for the change-I have been a customer in Central California 30 years. I am NOT satisfied with not knowing if Charter will have this area ready-what in less than three weeks. I spoke to a company chat room this morning-they had been told that as long as we had cable we would be fine-as I told her..That is not the case. It’s very irritating to not be able to find the answer-I even two weeks ago wound up talking to a representative in Arizona as our local new station said that some us would not be ready-he was very upset and said that he would “take it upstairs” -he even went online and read the report that had been issued by the news station. To call charter is redundant-they say all is good-but no specifics…Help!
I have no reason to think that any Charter TV Cable customer will not be ready, if and when, this plan goes into effect. Cable customers should be just fine. But then I live in Madison, Wisconsin.
It seems that the Feb. deadline for this plan will be extended by the House this week, and the plan will then take effect later this year.