Under a North Carolina law passed in 2006, TWC was able to terminate its franchise agreement once AT&T applied for and received a State-issued video services franchise and filed the required notices with the City.  AT&T reported in December 2008, that it is now able to provide cable service to one or more residences within the City and County.   Upon this notification from AT&T, TWC was eligible to notify the City that it was terminating its local franchise effective January 31, 2009.  TWC had previously secured a State-issued video franchise to service Mecklenburg County

Impacts on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Customers

The City of Charlotte retained its rights to:

• Manage its rights-of-way for the benefit of residents;
• Continue providing public, education, and government access channels; and,
• Require provision of basic service to public buildings.

 Mecklenburg County retained its rights to:

• Continue providing public, education, and government access channels; and,
• Require provision of basic service to public buildings.

 Complaint Issues:

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Cable Office can no longer accept and/or help resolve complaints received from TWC cable customers.    All complaints from customers must be sent to the Consumer Protection Division of the North Carolina Department of Justice's Attorney General's Office.

Contact information for the Consumer Protection Division is as follows:

N.C. Department of Justice

Consumer Protection Division

9001 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-9001

Call:  919-716-6000 or 1-877-566-7226 (1-877-NOSCAM) to obtain a complaint form.

Visit their website at: www.ncdoj.con/consumerprotection/cp_cable_overview.jsp 

Requirements and Regulatory Authority Lost:

With the loss of both local cable franchise agreements – most local requirements and regulatory authority have been terminated.   The City and County cannot require TWC to negotiate service levels and standards or provide the level of local regulation previously authorized by our local franchises.  Additionally, the City and County will no longer be able to require Time Warner to:

·  Demonstrate that they possess the financial and/or operational resources needed to operate a cable/video system;

·  Provide service to low-income or low-density areas;

·  Negotiate additional cable-related benefits to our residents; or

·  Honor customer service and customer complaint resolution procedures and policies outlined in local franchise agreements.

DIGITAL TV  UPDATES

House of Representatives Passes DTV Delay Bill

The House of Representatives has passed the DTV Delay Act which will move the DTV transition date to June 12, 2009 for many stations that had planned to transition to all digital broadcasts in February 2009.

While it is unclear exactly which stations in the Charlotte region may delay the transition, the bill, taken up from the Senate after it was passed on unanimous consent, will allow broadcasters to choose to make the transition to all-digital broadcasts before the June 12, 2009 transition date.  The bill also permits public safety to begin using vacated spectrum to meet communications needs ahead of the transition date.

Get details on converter boxes and the DTV Coupon Program.

Got questions about the DTV Transition?  Click here to get answers to some frequenty asked questions about DTV.

Digital TV (DTV) is an advanced broadcasting technology that will transform your television viewing experience. DTV enables broadcasters to offer television with movie-quality picture and sound. It can also offer multiple programming choices, called multicasting, and interactive capabilities.

Converting to DTV also will free up parts of the scarce and valuable broadcast spectrum. Those portions of the spectrum can then be used for other important services, such as public and safety services (police and fire departments, emergency rescue), and advanced wireless services.

The Transition to Digital TV

TV stations serving all markets in the United States are airing digital television programming today, and some will voluntarily continue to provide analog - or conventional TV - programming beyond the original DTV Transition date of  June 12, 2009.    When the DTV Transition occurs, full-power TV stations will cease broadcasting on their current analog channels, and the spectrum they use for analog broadcasting will be reclaimed and put to other uses.

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is the federal organization that is managing the transition from analog to digital television broadcasting.  The FCC has issued a digital tuner rule that specifies that as of March 1, 2007, all new TVs must include digital tuners. This rule prohibits the manufacture, import, or interstate shipment of any device containing an analog tuner, unless it also contains a digital tuner.

Despite this prohibition on manufacture and shipment, retailers may continue to sell analog-only devices from existing inventory. As a result, at the point of sale, many consumers may not be aware that this equipment will not be able to receive over-the-air-television signals after the DTV Transition.  TV sellers are now required to inform customers if the television(s) being sold have analog tuners.

For more information about Digital TV, call the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the Commission's digital television website : www.dtv.gov.  

Click here for DTV information in Spanish:  DTV En Espanol

GOT A  COMPLAINT ABOUT YOUR CABLE TV SERVICE?

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Cable Office can no longer accept and/or help resolve complaints received from TWC cable customers.    All complaints from customers must be sent to the Consumer Protection Division of the North Carolina Department of Justice's Attorney General's Office.    Contact information for the Consumer Protection Division is as follows:

N.C. Department of Justice

Consumer Protection Division

9001 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-9001

 

Call:  919-716-6000 or 1-877-566-7226 (1-877-NOSCAM) to obtain a complaint form.

Visit their web site at: www.ncdoj.com/consumerprotection/cp_cable_overview.jsp