Hurley concedes it can’t force Spectrum to widen service area
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Hurley concedes it can’t force Spectrum to widen service area
The town has come to the conclusion that it is stuck with Spectrum as a cable TV and internet service provider for part, but not all, of the community.
By William J. Kemble
HURLEY, N.Y. >> The town has come to the conclusion that it is stuck with Spectrum as a cable TV and internet service provider for part, but not all, of the community.
Councilman Michael Boms said at a Town Board meeting this week that a contract signed in 1959 essentially made that company and its successors the sole service provided for Hurley.
“The original franchise agreement that was made in 1959, and then renewed in 1974, says that the contract is in perpetuity, which means forever [and] means if we don’t sign a contract or they don’t give us a contract, the old contract [continues] no matter what,” he said.
Boms also said Spectrum, the recent successor to Tim Warner Cable, is not required to expand service beyond what it currently offers in the town.
“According to the old contract, they have no obligation to build out anywhere else,” he said.
“What we want to do basically is get [service on] Dug Hill Road … Route 28A [and] houses past Wynkoop [Road] on Hurley Mountain,” Boms said. “Those are the three areas that don’t have it. So it’s a challenge because literally speaking Time Warner Cable/Spectrum, they don’t care. They don’t give a sh-t about what we say.”
Boms said town officials will ask the state Public Service Commission to intervene.
“They’re the only ones that can negate the contract,” he said.
Boms said Spectrum representatives have exhibited a poor attitude about helping the town get wider coverage.
“So far we’ve had one meeting with them, and the meeting wound up [where] we asked for this, this, this and this. and their response was ‘no, no, no and no,’” he said.
“We have to sit down and talk with them again,” Boms said. “There are some issues to talk about. For example, there are four or five towns in this area that are also without a contract, and perhaps [we could be] getting together.”
Spectrum parent Charter Communication purchased Time Warner Cable in 2016. A company representative was not immediately available for comment Friday.
Because the team at CCG represents the interest of thousands of Homeowners Associations as well as REIT investment communities for their telecommunications services, we review telecommunication service provider contracts for Bulk Services, Rights of Easements, Marketing Agreements and Access Agreements from all service providers across the country on a daily basis. We enjoy sharing our experiences and informing our clients, potential clients as well as service providers of our views in the hopes that both the communities we represent, as well as the service providers that work hard to bid on them, can keep up to date and informed of the current issues.
The legal team at CCG provides the following for information purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.
