Cable Board Takes Action on Comcast Complaints

Margaret Case said she has received more complaints regarding Comcast in the last three to four weeks than she has had in 23 years as chairperson of the Windham Cable Advisory Board.

The issue – many subscribers in town are incensed that the cable provider is charging $1.99 per month for digital television adapter (or DTA) boxes.

The argument for Case and the rest of her board is that no such charge was ever mentioned at the time the boxes were provided.

The Windham Board of Selectmen endorsed a letter on March 18 that will be sent to over a dozen parties, including local and regional Comcast representatives, N.H. legislators and media outlets. The letter outlines the grievance and asks for a resolution to the matter.

"We felt that we needed to speak up for Windham, even though this is a statewide problem," said Case.

Case said that research over the weekend showed her that Comcast stands to make $550 million by charging for the adapter boxes.

"People cannot get cable unless they have one of these boxes," she said.

A copy of the letter, which was sent out to all parties today, is listed below:

Bob Carr

Director of Government & Regulatory Affairs

55 Concord Street

North Reading, Ma 01864

Dear Mr. Carr.

We have an extremely serious issue regarding Comcast Cable Service in Windham, New Hampshire that needs to be brought to your attention immediately. This official correspondence is follow up to verbal conversations that I have ahd with Mr. Bryan Christiansen, Senior Manager, Government and Regulatory Affairs.

The Windham Cable Advisory Board has been deluged with complaints (many quite vitriolic) from cable subscribers that COMCAST is now charging $1.99/month for the small adapter boxes (DTA) that were originally provided free of charge as part of the changeover to digital service. They argue that no such charge was ever mentioned at the time the boxes were provided, and customers were assured that they were part of Comcast's customer service. Windham Comcast customers regard this action as a serious breach of business ethics, and question how this fits in with the branding you've been trumpeting nationally as "Home of the Comcast Customer Guarantee?"

The Windham Cable Board cannot find fault with these complaints as each board member including myself recalled the very same assurance during the digital changeover.

Copies of this letter have bee ndisributed to the Town of Windham Board of Selectmen and the letter has been read publicly at their meeting last evening.

We hope you will not underestimate the importance of this issue, and request you take immediate action to pursue a mutually acceptable solution. The Windham New Hampshire Cable Advisory Board expects to hear from you soon regarding a resolution to this matter.

Sincerely,

Margaret A. Case

Chairperson,

Windham Cable Advisory Board

Copies:

Windham Board of Selectmen

Kevin Casey, Comcast President North E Division

Steven Hackley, Comcast Sr. Regional VP Boston

Bryan Christiansen, Sr. Manager, Government and Regulatory Affairs

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen

US Senator Kelly Ayotte

NH Senator Jim Rausch

NH Governor Maggie Hassan

NH Attorney General Michael Delaney

Eagle Tribune

Windham Independent

Windham Pelham News

Windham Patch