HomeMy WebLinkAboutICTC Agenda and Packet 2017-01-23
AGENDA
IOWA CITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
CITY CABLE TV OFFICE, 10 S. LINN ST., TOWER PLACE PARKING FACILITY, LEVEL 3A
JANUARY 23, 2017, 5:30PM
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes
3. Announcements of Commissioners
4. Short public announcements
5. REPORTS
Consumer Issues
Mediacom Report
Local Access Reports
City Cable TV Office Report
6. Adjournment
DRAFT
MINUTES
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
December 12, 2016 – 5:30 P.M.
City of Iowa City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St. - Tower Place, LEVEL 3A
Call to Order:Meeting called to order at 5:48 P.M.
Members Present:Laura Bergus, Derek Johnk, Paul Gowder
Members Absent:Nick Kilburg
Staff Present:Ty Coleman
Others Present:Gerardo Sandoval, Bond Drager
Recommendations to Council : NONE
Approval of Minutes:
Bergus moved and Gowder seconded a motion to approve the October 24, 2016 minutes
as presented. The motion passed unanimously.
Announcements of Commissioners:
None
Short Public Announcements:
None
Consumer Issues:
Coleman noted a couple of updates included in the cable complaints report regarding
ongoing issues. Coleman mentioned he has been receiving some messages from
residents regarding issues with their CenturyLink service and that he has been able to
connect with local CenturyLink staff to assist with the resolution. He discussed a phone
cable burial issue that had encountered some confusion in communications with
CenturyLink wherein it was suspected that two separate issues with two separate
customers were being mixed up. Coleman said he touched base with his CenturyLink
contact to pass on what the customer had recently reported. He noted that he hadn’t yet
heard whether CenturyLink had contacted the customer and would be following up with
the customer.
Mediacom Report
Coleman mentioned the recent announcement made by Mediacom regarding its
billion-dollar investment project and a transition to the DOCSIS (Data Over Cable
Service Interface Specification) 3.1 platform. Coleman said the transition appeared to be
happening ahead of schedule. Coleman stated he did not think that the entire project,
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DRAFT
announced earlier in 2016, had been fully completed, but that progress had been made.
Johnk noted that the project was an ambitious one and it was good to hear that the
company was making progress.
Coleman said he received a letter informing him that Mediacom would be adjusting its
rates in 2017 due to increased surcharges associated with the retransmission of local
broadcast programming and increased costs to carry regional sports programming.
Coleman said the local broadcast station surcharge would increase by $1.61 per month,
the regional sports surcharge would increase by $0.24 per month, and the Family TV
package would increase by $2.00 per month. He noted that Mediacom’s letter said the
company prefers not to raise rates due to the potential for losing customers and that the
company has been attempting to inform legislators about the issue of these increasing
costs affecting consumers.
Local Access Reports:
Sandoval reported that PATV would be closed to the public during the upcoming holiday
week, but would be using that time to go through the PATV inventory. Sandoval said
PATV may be changing its hours over the winter by opening earlier and closing earlier so
that it can be open more during the daylight hours.
Sandoval said the public has been reacting positively to social media efforts, noting that
PATV has been adding new members and seeing an increase in the number of programs
made available for playback. Sandoval said he sensed a new interest in public TV.
Sandoval also asked the Commission about PATV’s reports and whether the information
provided was enough to give commissioners a good idea of what PATV is doing on a
regular basis. Bergus said that the intention of the reports is not to require more work for
the access channels, but if PATV wanted to submit more information, they would be
welcome to do so. Gowder said that the Commission would gladly take a look at any
information that is already being prepared by PATV for other purposes, such as that
which is distributed to its board.
Sandoval said PATV has been more active with social media to encourage the public to
use its facility and to promote programming. He noted that staff had created a mascot to
use on social media for messaging and that it seems to have caught on.
Johnk said the Commission wishes to enable PATV and Bergus said being more educated
about PATV’s activities will help the Commission to provide more feedback.
Drager reported that there has been an increase in children’s programming at the Library
due to the break. She said that adult programming will slow down until February, when
the Library is holding a lot of Black History Month events. Drager also made note of the
Library’s Noon Year’s Eve program for kids on New Year’s Eve.
Drager mentioned that the Iowa City Public Library would be circulating wireless hotspot
devices in the near future and would be making an official announcement when the units
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are available. Gowder noted that there will likely be a great demand. Drager said the
Library was able to acquire a grant for ten devices and has arranged for a partner for the
service, which will be provided by Sprint. She said that a goal of the initiative was for
students to be able to do homework and that speed tests had been successfully conducted
at various points around town. Johnk commended Drager for the work that had been
done to make the project happen. Coleman inquired about the timeline for availability of
the devices. Drager said the launch date was set for January 30, 2017. Gowder asked if
the project was something that could be expanded. Drager said the grant allows for ten
devices per year and that she anticipated more would be purchased after the first year.
Drager said that five of the hotspot devices are planned to be bundled with newly
available laptops and the five remaining units would be separately available.
City Cable TV Office Report:
Coleman said the Cable TV Office programming also tends to slow down at the end of
the year due to fewer meetings and non-profit events. Coleman said the City Council
would be starting the year off with budget-related meetings and that Cable TV staff
would be recording some of the meetings.
Coleman noted a previous question from a commissioner regarding ImOn. He said he
checked with City staff to see if there was any new information regarding ImOn’s efforts
in Iowa City or if the Commission would be able to approach ImOn in hopes of learning
more about the company’s plans. Coleman reported that there was not any new
information and that it was advised not to approach ImOn at this time. Coleman also
mentioned that he learned from Sandoval that PATV had recently been working with
ImOn to receive services. Coleman said it was positive to see some competition in Iowa
City. Sandoval said the Internet and phone service they would be receiving was at a very
affordable price and that they would be saving approximately 65% of what they had been
paying.
Coleman also noted that there had not been any activity regarding applications for filling
the vacant seat on the Telecommunications Commission. He reported that the vacancy
had been posted on the City’s website as well as on a bulletin board in the lobby of City
Hall. Bergus asked if Coleman would send the commissioners a link to the application so
that the Commission could help to promote the open spot. Johnk asked whether reaching
out to University entities would make sense. Bergus said that students who are over the
age of eighteen should be able to apply. Coleman said he would send the link to the
commissioners as well as to the local access entities for pushing out through various
channels, including social media.
Adjournment:
Bergus moved and Gowder seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed
unanimously. Adjournment was at 6:05 p.m.
3
January 19, 2017
To: Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator (MPSC)
Re: Cable Complaints - December 2016
Ongoing Issues:
1.)
Problems with CenturyLink DSL
Date: Originated on 10/08/16
Update:
MPSC received a response from CenturyLink’s Chad Sanasack, who asked if the customer could call in a repair ticket when
the slow speeds presented themselves so that a reading could be taken. MPSC presented the request to the customer who
noted that the last time a reading was taken while she was experiencing the issue, the reading did not reflect the slow speeds.
MPSC later followed up with CenturyLink and was told that the last time a tech was sent to the residence, the speeds were
okay.
New Issues:
1.)
Date: 12/01/16
Method of contact: Phone call to MPSC
Complaint/Comment Summary:
Resident said she was told by Mediacom that her residence, located on Melrose Avenue, west of Highway 218 was
unserviceable.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC inquired about the area with Mediacom’s Rick Karnes, who confirmed that the area did not meet the density threshold
that requires service be extended. Karnes said that it would require contribution from the customer in order to be extended.
Date of Resolution: 12/01/16
2.)
Date: 12/07/16
Method of contact: Phone call to MPSC
Issue/Comment Summary:
A Mediacom Internet customer reported he had been experiencing an excessive amount of buffering with online video
services.
Resolution Summary:
The customer had scheduled a service appointment and later reported that two Mediacom employees came out to his
residence and seemed to know what they were doing. He was told that the contractor who set up the system had done so
incorrectly. The customer reported that the technicians added an updated “2-5G” system that was working so far.
Date of Resolution: 12/08/16
3.)
Date: 12/14/16
Method of contact: Email to MPSC
Issue/Comment Summary:
Resident complained that his cable TV service was out.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC learned from Mediacom that a major fiber had been cut in Cedar Rapids that was affecting several communities. It was
reported that most Internet subscribers should not be affected. The fiber was repaired later that evening.
Date of Resolution: 12/14/16
4.)
Date: 12/14/16
Method of contact: Phone call to Cable TV Office
Issue/Comment Summary:
Resident complained that her TV service was out and that her cable often goes out after midnight.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC called the customer to report about the cut fiber and offered assistance with resolving the late night outage issue. No
response was received from the customer.
Date of Resolution: 12/15/16
5.)
Date: 12/14/16
Method of contact: Online cable complaint form via the citychannel4.com website
Issue/Comment Summary:
Resident complained that his cable TV and Internet service was out.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC responded to inform the resident of the cut fiber issue. The fiber was repaired and service restored later that evening.
Date of Resolution: 12/14/16
6.)
Date: 12/14/16
Method of contact: Phone call to MPSC
Issue/Comment Summary:
Resident complained that his Mediacom business phone service was out.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC informed the resident of the cut fiber issue. Resident was concerned that he was not able to get calls to his business
during the outage and was told by Mediacom that it was not possible to forward his calls to a cell phone at that time, as he had
done in the past. He also expressed concern that 911 service would not be available.
MPSC contacted Mediacom’s Lee Grassley to pose questions about the nature of the fiber repair, whether 911 emergency
service was available during an outage, why phone service wasn’t able to be forwarded, how customers are communicated
with when an outage occurs, and whether there was a protocol for notifying the appropriate officials when an outage occurs.
The following information was reported by Mediacom staff:
●The fiber that was cut on January 14 was a 156-count fiber that required digging it up and fusion splicing each of
the individual fibers in two locations. Preparing for the splicing takes the most amount of time.
●911 service is affected if Internet and phone service is not working.
●Phone customers are made aware of the potential 911 issues and are required to sign a letter of
acknowledgement.
●With many instances of a cut fiber, most phone and Internet services are not affected due to a built-in
redundancy in the system.
●It was believed that the customer’s phones couldn’t be forwarded since the cut fiber affected the ability for his
lines to reach the server.
●A message about an outage is placed on Mediacom’s IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system to notify
customers who call that there is an outage in their area.
●There is not a procedure in place for notifying affected cities, however the Area Operations Director stated he
can plan to call the City when an outage occurs, depending on the severity of outage for which such
communication is desired.
MPSC asked Grassley for a report on the major outages that occurred in 2016. Mediacom is working to pinpoint the Iowa City
outages and is working to prepare a report with related data.
Date of Resolution: 12/14/16
7.)
Date: 12/18/16
Method of contact: Various methods
Issue/Comment Summary:
Multiple residents complained following another TV outage that occurred two times in one day, including evening hours.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC asked Mediacom’s Rick Karnes about the outages and was told that the extremely cold temperatures had affected the
signal. Karnes said such temperatures can cause multiple issues for cable systems. MPSC asked Karnes for further
explanation. It was noted that the cold resulted in a loss of light as it traveled through the fiber optic cabling from Cedar Rapids
to Iowa City. Karnes said they were able to switch to a different fiber and that he did not expect further outages due to this
issue.
Date of Resolution: 12/19/16
Mediacom Communications Corporation
1 Mediacom Way • Mediacom Park, NY 10918 • 845-443-2600 • Fax 845-698-4100
Entire Mediacom Communications Broadband Network
to be Gigabit-Ready by Year End
First Major U.S. Cable Company to Fully Deploy DOCSIS 3.1 Gigasphere Technology
Mediacom Park, NY – December 7, 2016 – Mediacom Communications today announced the
company’s entire broadband network will be gigabit-capable by the end of 2016. Mediacom will
become the first major U.S. cable company to fully transition to the DOCSIS 3.1 “Gigasphere”
platform, the latest generation of broadband technology. As a result, virtually all of the 3 million
homes and businesses that Mediacom serves across its 22 state footprint will be able to enjoy
speeds that are up to 40 times faster than the minimum broadband definition set by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC).
“Mediacom was founded on the principle that hard-working families in the smaller cities and towns
in our nation’s heartland deserved the same advanced communications services enjoyed in the
largest metropolitan areas” said Mediacom’s founder and CEO, Rocco B. Commisso. “Through our
$8 billion of cumulative investments over the past 20 years in pursuit of that goal, we have enabled
the communities where we operate to successfully bridge the digital divide.”
According to Mr. Commisso, “After the Gigasphere modems became available earlier this year, we
accelerated the first phase of our previously announced 3-year, $1 billion capital investment plan so
that Mediacom’s customers could begin taking advantage of superfast speeds as soon as possible.
This will ensure that the predominantly working-class neighborhoods we serve throughout Middle
America are not technologically disadvantaged in today’s global marketplace.”
He added that “I am especially proud that the substantial investments in our rural markets were
made despite the heavy-handed and unfair regulatory burdens recently imposed on our company by
the FCC and without depending on government subsidies. In contrast to many others who have
been willing to deploy broadband in rural areas only if incentivized with loans and grants from
federal and state programs, Mediacom has relied totally on private capital. Moreover, unlike some
other competitors who offer 1-Gig speeds only in select neighborhoods in their service areas, our 1-
Gig service will be accessible to absolutely everyone within the reach of our network, regardless of
the size, income-level or other demographics of their community.”
JR Walden, Mediacom’s Chief Technology Officer, remarked that “It has taken a lot of hard work,
but less than 10 months from announcing ‘Project Gigabit,’ we will have completed the upgrade of
our entire broadband network to the Gigasphere platform. Deployment of this next-gen technology
will considerably enhance the consumer experience today and lay the groundwork for multi-Gig
capabilities in the future. With our rapid and seamless transition to this new platform, we have set
our communities on an accelerated path into the gigabit era.”
For Immediate Release
Mediacom’s network enhancements will provide a significant boost to the company’s internet
speeds. The company’s new minimum entry level speed for residential customers will increase to
60 Mbps while flagship offerings of 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps will also be available. Moreover,
Mediacom will begin rolling out ultra-fast 500 Mbps and 1-Gig (1000 Mbps) products on a market
by market basis in the coming weeks.
Mediacom noted that the Gigasphere technology will primarily enhance speeds to its residential
and small business customers. Mr. Walden said that “Mediacom Business has already been offering
local businesses in our markets our Gigabit+ Fiber SolutionsTM for many years, with scalable
services of up to 10-Gig speeds.”
About DOCSIS 3.1 Gigasphere Technology
The cable network is composed of a hybrid of optical fiber and coaxial cable elements, and the
specification that enables use of the network for broadband is known as Data Over Cable Service
Interface Specification, or DOCSIS®. Gigasphere is the brand name for products and services that
use a technical specification called DOCSIS 3.1, the next generation of DOCSIS services
developed and advanced by CableLabs, the U.S. cable industry’s research and development
consortium, and its members. DOCSIS 3.1 provides a near-term path toward continued
improvement of cable broadband performance, with network capacity of up to 10 gigabits per
second in the downstream and up to 2 gigabits per second in the upstream. Equipment vendors are
now supplying the necessary components. In January 2016, CableLabs certified the first DOCSIS
3.1 cable modems.
About Mediacom Communications
Mediacom Communications Corporation is the 5th largest cable operator in the U.S. serving over
1.3 million customers in smaller markets primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. Mediacom offers
a wide array of information, communications and entertainment services to households and
businesses, including video, high-speed data, phone, and home security and automation. Through
Mediacom Business, the company provides innovative broadband solutions to commercial and
public sector customers of all sizes, and sells advertising and production services under the
OnMedia brand. More information about Mediacom is available at www.mediacomcable.com.
Contact:
Tom Larsen
SVP – Government & Public Relations
845-443-2754
tlarsen@mediacomcc.com
PATV Report to Iowa City Telecommunications Commission Dec. 2016
December has been a busy month for our members and staff as we all prepare for the holidays. From
a ADA Group dance production of Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer to many warm messages from
our regularly scheduled shows. We will be closed to the public the week between Christmas and New
Years.
PATV Board Meetings
PATV Board of Directors next meeting Jan. 19th at 6 pm.
Intro Workshop
Guidelines orientation is the first Thursday of every month, 6 pm at PATV.
Next Guidelines is Thursday, Jan. 5th at 6 PM.
Video Workshops Schedule
Studio Training – The second Tuesday of the month from 5 – 7 pm.
HD Camera – The third Thursday of the month from 6 –8 pm.
Digital Editing – The fourth Thursday of the month from 6 - 8 pm.
Current and upcoming staff supported productions
Education Exchange
The Joseph Dobrian Show
Hello it’s us
GreenFire
The LyleStyle Show
PATV Presents: Thursday Night Live at Uptown Bills
Tom’s Guitar Show
Time for truth
Submitted by Gerardo Sandoval 12/21/16
206 Lafayette St. • Iowa City, Iowa 52240 • Phone 338-7035
Fax 338-8456 • contact@patv.tv • http://www.patv.tv
PATV Report to Iowa City Telecommunications Commission Jan. 2017
January 2017 is off to a good start. Already we have seen lots of activity in the studio and outside our
studio. Producers have captured interviews with visiting dance professors to MLK celebrations. This
year we are starting our membership campaign via social media both to reach our members and to
increase visibility. We are also Beta Testing (sort of) via our webpage, www.patv.tv , our online
Guidelines Class at the end of this month.
PATV Board Meetings
PATV Board of Directors next meeting Feb. 16th at 6 pm.
Intro Workshop
Guidelines orientation is the first Thursday of every month, 6 pm at PATV.
Next Guidelines is Thursday, Feb. 5th at 6 PM.
Video Workshops Schedule
Studio Training – The second Tuesday of the month from 5 – 7 pm.
HD Camera – The third Thursday of the month from 6 –8 pm.
Digital Editing – The fourth Thursday of the month from 6 - 8 pm.
Current and upcoming staff supported productions
Education Exchange
The Joseph Dobrian Show
Hello it’s us
GreenFire
The LyleStyle Show
PATV Presents: Thursday Night Live at Uptown Bills
Tom’s Guitar Show
Time for truth
Submitted by Gerardo Sandoval 1/18/17
206 Lafayette St. • Iowa City, Iowa 52240 • Phone 338-7035
Fax 338-8456 • contact@patv.tv • http://www.patv.tv
Date: January 19, 2017
To: The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator, City of Iowa City Cable TV Office
Re: City of Iowa City Cable TV Office report for the January 2017 meeting
Media Production Services
Recent production activities:
●Covered an event held at the Iowa City Public Library titled “Water is Life: Why is Standing
Rock Important?”
●Recorded 2 lectures held by the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council about post-election
perspectives on international relations and integration of immigrants in France.
●Recorded the Greater Iowa City Area Student Scholarships show choir event.
●Covered the Unity Potluck at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center.
●Recorded the Iowa City City Council Economic Development Committee Meeting of
December 13.
●Cablecast live and recorded the Iowa City City Council work sessions and formal meetings
of January 3 and 17.
●Recorded portions of the Iowa City City Council Budget meetings of January 7 and 10.
●Recorded the 34th Annual Historic Preservation Awards at the Iowa City Public Library.
●Shot and produced six episodes of Iowa City Update. Topics included the Public Art
Project, Citizen’s Police Academy, Christmas tree & light recycling, computer monitor and
television ban at the landfill, a new senior housing project, and home energy audits being
offered through the city.
●Created a January edition of Iowa City In Focus that included an in-depth look into the
City’s greenhouse gas reduction plan. Other topics included a city-wide tree inventory and
an update on the Washington Street construction project.
●Completed 3 Community Highlight videos, which recapped the Holiday Thieves’ Market,
Holiday Tuba Concert, and the ‘Tis the Season campaign.
Upcoming productions:
●An event at Beadology discussing the history of the building which was constructed in the
1880’s.
●A legislative forum held by the League of Women Voters of Johnson County at City Hall.
●Several lectures at the State Historical Society to celebrate the 160th anniversary of its
founding.
●An event held by the Iowa City Group of the Sierra Club to discuss clean water in Iowa.
●The annual string concert of the Preucil School of Music as the concert returns to Hancher.
●A meeting of the urbanized area policy board of the Metropolitan Planning Organization of
Johnson County.
●Iowa City City Council work sessions and formal meetings of February 7 and 21.
●Weekly episodes of Iowa City Update. Upcoming topics include plans to restore the City
Park cabins, the City’s MicroLoan Program, and an update on the Riverside Crossings Park
plan.
●An Iowa City In Focus that will include the following topics: 2018 City Budget, Shelter
House, Ice Fishing, One Book Two Book Festival, and more.
Programming and Interactive Services
Recent and Upcoming Projects:
December was a busy month for adding event screens for InfoVision and the City Hall Lobby digital
sign, but pretty quiet on the technical side. The new voice-driven InfoVision program on channel 5
is picking up more use as it becomes more stable. I believe we're ready to start publicizing the new
interface.
Website:
In December, we had 2,647 users access 5,080 pages in 4,002 sessions. Our most popular pages
were Mediacom's channel lineup, our home page, Mediacom's cable rates, our video page, our
program schedule, and broadband troubleshooting page.
Our streaming media provider reports 8,999 total hits, which includes 3,970 Events (player window
was loaded), 425 Sessions (media was played), and 5,029 OnDemand Hits (media was scrubbed or
index point was clicked). 1,021 podcasts were downloaded, and our HQ media was accessed 317
times. Our live stream was accessed 646 times.
Meanwhile YouTube reports 2,281 views for 137 hours and 10 minutes. Our most popular videos
last month were Iowa City In Focus December episode, the University Heights City Council meeting
of Nov. 15, the Holiday Tuba Concert, and the Government in Islam presentation.
Programming:
We cablecast 145 programs produced in-house
944 times for 584 hours of programming, 32
locally-produced (DITV, Senior Center, Hoover
Library, JC Board of Supervisors, Coralville, North
Liberty and University Heights) programs 109
times for 132 hours of programming, and 21
imported programs 56 times for 22 hours of
programming. We also showed 83 PSAs 1061
times for 20 hours of programming. We again
programmed our traditional Music Marathons for
Christmas and the New Year, playing classical
music programs on Christmas eve and day, and
Market Music and Friday Night Concert programs on New Year's eve and day.
Programs Completed by the Cable TV Office in December 2016
●2016 Festival of Carols
●Iowa City Foreign Relations Council
○Bullets and Bombs; The Background Music for an Average Day in Damascus, Syria
○Tracking and Surveillance in the Online Advertising Ecosystem
○Post-Election Perspectives for International Relations
●History for Lunch - Iowa in the Civil War: The benefits of using a single state to analyze the Civil
War experience
●Preucil School of Music - 21st Piano Festival featuring Multiple Piano Ensembles
●Water is Life: Why is Standing Rock important?
●Obermann Conversations - Becoming Less Alone: Changing the Conversation About Mental
Health
●Iowa City City Council Work Session of December 6, 2016
●Iowa City City Council Meeting of December 6, 2016
●Building and Crossing Bridges Together - ICCSD Survey
●ICPD Accreditation Public Forum
●Economic Development Committee Meeting of 12/13/16
●Iowa City In Focus for December 2016. Topics included First Avenue Construction, Snow
Emergency Rules, 'Tis the Season, and Osprey Nesting Platform
●Iowa City Update
○Holiday Farmers Market
○Public Art Project
○Citizen’s Police Academy
○Christmas lights and tree recycling
●Community Highlights
○Holiday Thieves’ Market
○Holiday Tuba Concert
○‘Tis the Season