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Charter's digital service plans delayed

JANESVILLE — 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.

“I am concerned that some customers will now have to pay more to access coverage of city council and school board meetings plus a myriad of local programming of interest to our viewers,” said JATV’s Judi Kneece. “We don’t want to lose viewers because of this change.”

Robson has similar concerns.

“These changes will make it more difficult and costly for viewers to access the public-access channels and will reduce viewership,” Robson wrote in her complaint. “By banishing the public-access channels to the nether regions of the channel lineup, Charter Communications is disregarding its obligation to provide public access to the airwaves and is denying access to this important programming to a significant portion of the public.”

Vowell, however, said that although these channels are moving into the 900 range, they are quite close to the current Janesville public-access channels of 12 and 13. The 900s begin right next to the lowest-numbered channels, he said.

Charter customers who have digital TVs with CableCard capability or a QAM tuner won’t have to do anything to receive the updated service. But those with early versions of digital TVs or the even older analog TVs will need a digital converter box in order to watch TV after the change takes place.

Charter rents out those boxes for $5 a month.

Vowell indicated that relatively few customers would have to rent a box. He said Charter recently made a similar change in another state in a market with 50,000 customers, and fewer than 30 customers wanted the converter box.

Charter gave those customers the box for free for six months, Vowell said. A similar arrangement probably would happen in Wisconsin, but Vowell did not know how long the grace period would be.

MORE INFORMATION

Here’s more information about Charter Communications’ planned changes to its service, based on a conversation with Charter spokesman Tim Vowell and from city of Janesville documents.

Q: Is there any good news?

A: Certainly. Charter plans to add six new, high-definition channels to its lineup Aug. 20. They are Fox Sports Net-Wisconsin, also known as FSN-WI HD; Animal Planet-HD, Smithsonian Channel-HD, TBS-HD, In-Demand-HD and The Movie Channel-HD.

Charter said the addition of FSN-WI HD will allow viewers to see late-season Milwaukee Brewers games in high definition.

Also, Janesville viewers will be able to see not only their own public-access channels but also those of Beloit, Brodhead, Edgerton, Fort Atkinson, Milton, Monroe, New Glarus and Whitewater.

These local public-access channels will be in a “Public Affairs Neighborhood” near the C-SPAN channels and Wisconsin EYE, the new channel that shows the Wisconsin Legislature.

Q: I like my Janesville public access stations on channels 12 and 13. Now they’ll be on 993 and 994. Won’t that be difficult to find?

A: Actually, the 900s are not far from 12 and 13. Think of the channels as a circle. As you scroll past the single-digit channels, you go right into the 900s. So the public-access channels will be close to the local broadcast stations.

Q: Will I have to upgrade my service?

A: No. These stations will remain a part of the Charter’s “basic” package.

Q: But will I have to pay any more?

A: Only if your TV is out of date and requires a Charter digital-conversion box. The box costs $5 a month.

Q: Could I buy a box and save $60 a year?

A: Not yet. Congress has mandated that a universal converter box for cable TV be made available at retail stores in 2009. Trouble is, each cable company has different digital standards, so a box would have to accommodate all those standards, so that customers would be able to move to a new area with a different cable provider and not have to buy a new box.

So boxes will not be cheap, Vowell predicted, and with the speed of technological change that could make boxes obsolete, it might be more cost-effective just to rent a box.

“One of the things customers don’t understand is the equipment is very expensive for us to purchase, and we seldom recover our investment in that equipment before it becomes obsolete or we switch to a new technology,” Vowell said.

Q: I’m upset. How can I lodge a complaint?

A: Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, encourages complaints to the state’s Consumer Protection Bureau through the Web site www.datcp.state.wi.us or by calling 1-800-422-7128.

Q: I don’t watch public access TV. What am I missing?

A: In Janesville, the school district’s Channel 13 shows school board meetings live and a variety of program about what’s going on in the schools. JATV’s lineup includes city council meetings live but also UW-Rock County concerts and events, Hedberg Public Library programs, shows about local artists and musicians, the Rock County Humane Society’s “Pet Parade” and church-based programs.

Q: I’ve been hearing about this nationwide conversion to digital TV, and the fact that I have to buy a digital conversion box by next February. Is this the same thing?

A: No. That change affects people who get TV through the airwaves and who own analog TVs. For more information, go to www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon.

Q: How can I tell if my TV is equipped with CableCard technology or QOM tuner?

A: If you have the CableCard technology, you would know because a Charter technician would have installed a card in the TV. Charter customer service can help figure out if a TV has the QOM (quadrature amplitude modulation) tuner.

Q: Where can I get more information about my Charter cable TV service?

A: Call Charter at 1-888-438-2427 or go to www.charter.com. The city of Janesville asks residents to call Charter first, but if not satisfied, they may call the city clerk-treasurer’s office at (608) 755-3076. Viewers with questions specific to JATV may call Judi Kneece at (608) 758-5822.

Q: How many Charter subscribers are there in Janesville, anyway?

A: As of March, there were 17,359 subscribers. That’s down from 18,252 in March 2007.

Q: Does the cable TV competition bill that the state Legislature passed recently have anything to do with this?

A: Yes. Before the law changed, Charter would have had to negotiate these moves with each of the more than 170 municipalities that it has agreements with. The cable TV bill allows Charter to do things on a statewide basis.