Uxbridge cable committee urges Charter to restore PEG grant, carry HD channels and consider 5% franchise fee; votes to send priorities to town manager

The Town of Uxbridge Cable Advisory Committee reviewed a draft renewal of the town's cable franchise/license with Charter/Spectrum on Aug. 7 and voted to ask the town manager to press Charter on several items, including restoration of a PEG capital grant, carriage of PEG channels in high definition and parity in the Spectrum streaming app, and pursuing an increase in the annual franchise fee from 4% to the 5% statutory cap.

Speaker 2 (committee member/staff) said the draft license provided by Charter's licensing representative removes the PEG capital grant and shifts PEG funding to a share of gross revenue. "The PEG capital grant has been removed," Speaker 2 said, and added the draft projects higher PEG revenue over 10 years under a 5% fee compared with the current formula. Speaker 2 supplied 10-year estimates in the draft (one projection in the record was roughly $1.82 million under the existing terms versus about $2.1 million under a 5% fee), but other members questioned those assumptions given declining cable subscriptions.

The committee highlighted three priorities for negotiations. Speaker 4 summarized the requested order: restore the PEG grant, secure HD carriage for PEG channels and placement in the streaming app, and pursue increasing franchise fees from 4% to 5% if feasible. Speaker 2 recommended the committee prepare a direct letter to the town manager outlining those priorities and other concerns; Speaker 1 moved that the committee draft such a letter and Speaker 4 seconded. The motion passed by voice vote; the transcript records "Aye" but does not report an exact numeric tally.

Committee members also discussed connectivity obligations in the draft. Speaker 2 read language that would require the town to notify the licensee and accept an itemized cost if providing cable service to listed municipal and school buildings would cause franchise fees to exceed 5% of gross revenue; under that clause the town could be responsible for wiring those buildings. Committee members said wiring municipal buildings (police, fire, library) had been an outstanding item from the prior contract and expressed concern that the draft shifts responsibility to the town.

The committee asked Barry (identified in the meeting record as the cable-access professional present) to begin renegotiations with Charter consistent with the committee's priority order and agreed to draft and route the letter through the town manager and relevant departments. Speaker 1 said he would draft the letter for committee review before sending it to the town manager and staff.

What happens next: The committee will draft the letter to the town manager and intends to coordinate with the manager and other departments before any final negotiations with Charter/Spectrum. The draft license and revenue projections in the transcript were discussed but committee members disputed several assumptions; the committee did not approve a final negotiating position beyond the motion to send the town manager the outlined priorities.