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Albany hears broadband rollout update; questions Valley Vision public-access coverage
Summary
Selectmen were told CCI/Phidium has run broadband service past nearly 25,000 Carroll County premises under grant work; the board discussed whether to continue having Valley Vision air meetings on Spectrum channel 3 and asked staff to invite Valley Vision to explain options and costs.
At its Aug. 13 meeting the Albany Selectmen received an update on regional broadband grant work and discussed whether to continue using a public-access channel to air meetings.
A Committee member reported that the Carroll County broadband contractor (referred to in the meeting as CCI/Phidium) had "run it past just shy of 25,000 premises in Carroll County" as part of grant activity and that the company will meet with the district at an annual meeting Oct. 8.
Members then reviewed a letter from Valley Vision asking if Albany wants to continue having meetings aired on the public-access channel. Committee members noted channel 3 (Spectrum) reaches only subscribers and said many residents rely on YouTube. "The franchise fee is given to the whole town, but yet we're giving it all to them to be able to broadcast a few things to a few people in town," a Committee member said. Board members asked the Town Administrator to invite a Valley Vision representative to discuss options, including whether Valley Vision can pull footage from the town YouTube channel and rebroadcast it and what alternatives the town could use.
No formal decision to renew or terminate Valley Vision services was made; members agreed to continue the conversation and ask Valley Vision to come to a future meeting to outline options and costs.
