Local Lawmakers Voice Opposition To Optimum Channel Change

DARIEN, CT — Local lawmakers are voicing opposition to Optimum's planned government channel change that is set to go into effect this week, saying the reshuffling will confuse residents and require costly rebranding for local stations.

In a letter to Altice Chairman and CEO Dennis Mathew on Aug. 15, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-25) and a coalition of Fairfield County Democrats urged the cable company to reconsider the decision.

Beginning Aug. 19, local government channels will move from 78 and 79 to the 1300 positions in 10 municipalities, including Darien, Easton, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Redding, Stamford, Westport, Weston and Wilton -- all part of the Area 9 Cable Council.

The letter was signed by Duff and fellow state Sens. Ceci Maher (D-26) and Patricia Billie Miller (D-27), as well as state Reps. Hector Arzeno (D-151); Matt Blumenthal (D-147); Eilish Collins Main (D-146); Savet Constantine (D-42); Lucy Dathan (D-142); Anne Hughes (D-135); Jonathan Jacobson (D-148); Dominique Johnson (D-143); Stephen Meskers (D-150); Kadeem Roberts (D-137); and Travis Simms (D-140).

"The expedited nature of these changes, as well Altice's failure to consult with the officials from these municipalities and the Council, raises a multitude of concerns, which we request you to consider before going forward with these changes," the letter said.

"Specifically, these changes will have a detrimental effect on these towns and their residents. Channel 79 has served as the local government channel and channel 78 has served as the education-related broadcast channel for over twenty years in these municipalities. This means that not only will these changes require rebranding... but also that these changes will create confusion amongst viewers."

Darien TV79 announced last week it is rebranding to Darien TV as a result of the change.

Greenwich officials said they were not consulted before the decision was made.

Jeff Boehme, Wilton's Area 9 Cable Council representative, said studies have shown that any kind of change in the channel positions is "detrimental and disruptive to viewers," the lawmakers noted in their letter.

"This is particularly concerning in light of the fact that you have burdened the stations with broadcasting this changing of channels, with Optimum merely providing notice of this change to customers through their billing statements, which already contain an excess of information and small print," the letter added.

In a previous statement to Patch, Optimum said it is "committed to providing our Connecticut customers with the best possible TV viewing experience, which includes access to a wide range of programming content.

"Beginning August 19th, Optimum will be repositioning the location of PEG (Public, Education, and Government Access) channels to a new location within our channel lineups. Customers will not experience any disruption in service and will be able to access this content through their existing TV packages."

The lawmakers said local programming is "vital to our democracy," and they urged Altice to provide more information about the decision.

"This sudden and ill-advised decision to change channel positions will, in effect, exile local content by hiding it with a new channel assignment."

Read the full letter here.