Text Box:   Charter Communications Cable Contract / License Renewal   Contract Assignment: · Negotiate a Cable Television license renewal with Charter Communications that is in the best interest of all residents of Belchertown · Current license with Charter expires June 30, 2007   The Cable License: · Contract to deliver television programming · Typically does not address Internet or telephone service · Contract length can vary up to 10 years, can be worth upwards of $1M to the town · Last contract included wiring the town buildings with fiber optic cable saving the town ~$10K/month   Competitive Landscape: · Competitive environment for media content delivery is rapidly changing · New players, new technologies · Operators are under increasing pressure to reduce costs, increase services, compete openly · This could be one of the last cable licenses negotiated for Belchertown   What We Can Negotiate: · Length of Contract · PEG, I-Net services and funding · Discounts for Basic Tier service only · Non-standard installation costs · License fees · Insurance and bonding · Subscriber rights and remediation · Performance reporting and reviews   What We Cannot Negotiate: · Pricing other than Basic Tier discounts · Channel selection · Service Tiers · Internet and telephone service     Progress to Date: · Have been planning for the last two years · Researched recent contracts with nearby cities and towns · Retained an attorney specializing in cable license negotiation · Had open meetings with interested parties · Completed Ascertainment phase · Submitted Contract to Attorney for review · Received Selectmen Approval · Submitted contract to Charter to begin 120 day negotiation period   Next Steps: · May 2007 -  Final contract negotiation · June 2007 - Signed license contract                      

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