HomeMy Public PortalAboutCable Television Advisory -- 2007-07-03 MinutesMinutes of the meeting of the Brewster Cable TV Advisory Committee scheduled for 7:00 pm on Tuesday
3 July 2007.
The outside door of the Brewster Town Office building being locked, but the weather being favorable, the
meeting was held outside of the building on a bench just to the right of the door, approximately outside
basement room C which is the expected meeting site. The inside of room C is visible through a window.
No potential or actual audience members appeared at any time, either inside room C or outside at the
bench.
The meeting is called to order at 7:04 pm on Tuesday 3 July 2007 by Larry Greeley.
Members present at this time are:
Larry Greeley
Nonnan Adams
Walter Powers
Jim Tvrdik
Norman Adams distributes copies of the draft minutes of the meeting of Tuesday 5 June 2007.
A motion is made and seconded to accept the minutes of the meeting of Tuesday 5 June 2007 as presented.
The vote to accept is unanimous.
In regard to Item 10 of the several items distributed by Larry in the meeting of Tuesday 5 June 2007 as
listed in the minutes of that meeting (see Appendix A below for a copy of that item): Larry reports that he
did contact Mary O'Keeffe of Comcast on this matter and received no help. He also checked the Comcast
strand map for Brewster and found no helpful easements or other useful methods of access to "cable plant"
which were within the 150 feet cited as the maximum distance over which Comcast would provide a
standard installation.
The matter therefore stands where it was, to wit, that the person on Bog Hill Road [barring the person's
expenditure of some $64,000 by Comcast's informal estimate!] will be unable to receive the Brewster PEG
channels and the Brewster cable channels as provided to Comcast customers in Brewster but may (if the
Selectmen grant permission to Comcast) be served from the Harwich Comcast cable plant which would
include the Harwich PEG channels and Harwich cable channels as provided to Harwich customers of
Comcast.
In this discussion all the members of this committee agree that the topic of providing connection to
Brewster cable service for all Brewster residents who want it should be included in any future negotiations
with Comcast and with any other cable service provider.
Inasmuch as Comcast provides Internet service to customers for that service over the same physical cable
that Comcast uses to provide cable TV service, our negotiations for connection to cable service would also
indirectly influence connection for Internet service - a matter which is not in our purview.
Norman Adams will provide to Larry a draft of a letter to the person on Bog Hill Road.
Larry points out that before too long the Selectmen will have to specify a warrant in a Town Meeting
(presumably the next Town Meeting which will be in the fall) to approve the disbursement of the funds
now being collected from Comcast for getting the Brewster government channel in operation. They will
look to us to provide the factual content in such a warrant. We will therefore have to acquire the necessary
information on costs of hardware and of human services involved in getting the Brewster government
channel in operation.
Jim Tvrdik will try to get a quote for the necessary hardware and its installation etc drawing on his
previous experiences (as with the similar problem in Orleans).
There is a discussion of the fact that for video recording of government meetings the quality of sound and
proper identifying views of any speakers is vital, and that these requirements imply that in many cases two
people are required to produce a useful video record - a person handling the pictures and a second person
handling the sound.
In some meetings, due to the multiplicity of speakers and their individual methods of usage of a
microphone, combined with difficulties arising from background noise and the like, handling the sound
part of the video recording is a problem as difficult, if not more difficult, than is handling the camera part
of the video recording.
It may be possible - at least for awhile - to rely on volunteers to run the camera (or cameras). Audio
Associates of Orleans is mentioned as a possible contractor for handling the sound part of a videotape.
Larry says that he will discuss with Charlie Sumner the wording of "our" warrant.
The next meeting of the Brewster CTVAC will be at the regular date & time to wit 7:00 pm on Tuesday 7
August 2007.
The meeting seems to be out of other business to be taken up tonight, and a motion to adjourn is made and
seconded. The motion is passed unanimously. The meeting is adjourned at 7:53 pm.
Appendix A. Extract of the minutes of the meeting of Tuesday 5 June 2007
Item 10. Photocopy of a Fax Transmission from Comcast with a cover page identifying the sender as Mary
O'Keeffe, concerning connection of cable service to a home on Bog Hill Road in Brewster.
In the discussion of this communication the question arises that there may be an easement through which
the Town of Brewster could provide access by Comcast to the home in question that is much shorter than
the 3400 feet mentioned in this item. There might even be such an easement within the 150 feet mentioned
in this item.
After some discussion a motion is made by Larry and seconded by acclamation, that Larry be empowered
to further discuss with Comcast, orally or in writing, this communication. The motion is approved
unanimously.
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Submitted by Norman Adams, Clerk, Brewster CTVAC
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