FeedsCable shift irks officials
The Canton Community Cable Channel is moving up in the world, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.
For residents with Comcast cable, the channel—now 12—will soon be moved up to 915.
“We’re disappointed, as a lot of communities are,” said Canton Supervisor Tom Yack.
Channel 12 on Comcast is the government access station, where Township Board of Trustees meetings and Planning Commission meetings are shown. It’s also where other Public, Educational and Government (PEG) programs such as the Canton news magazine, interviews and special event programs are telecast.
By moving the channel to the 900 range, the cable company may restrict viewers. Most television sets cannot access cable channels above 99 or 120 and require a special converter box.
“We feel it is critical for residents in Canton Township who have Comcast to be aware of a change that the company has implemented that may cause a hardship for many of them to view our Government Channel 12 and other community access channels,” said Yack. “The change will mean many Comcast customers will now need a converter box to keep watching Channel 12.”
The company has indicated that it will provide the converter boxes for free, at first, but will eventually require patrons to lease them at $2 per month—per television.
Yack said he’s already received complaints from residents, who have called the company to request the boxes. They’re told one of two things, he said: they either had to pick one up from a Comcast office in Royal Oak or pay $17 to have them delivered.
There is no longer a Comcast office in Canton Township, but there is one nearby in Wayne, at Michigan Avenue and Wayne roads. They apparently don’t distribute the boxes, though.
Yack said the fee may be a hardship to some viewers. He also doubted that they would be willing to ‘surf’ channels with numbers that high.
He sent a letter to the company expressing his disappointment.
“Many township viewers will have difficulty seeking out our PEG channels. This will lead to decreased viewership for programming in which we have had considerable investment in resources,” he wrote.
He also informed State Sen. Bruce Patterson (R-Canton), State Rep. Phil LaJoy (R-Canton) and State Rep. Marc Corriveau (D-Northville), since recently enacted statewide video franchise legislation doesn’t grant local municipalities any say in the matter.
He said he was particularly concerned because of the investment Canton Township has made in its cable programming, which has won awards.
“Our belief all along has been that the cable franchise fee revenue should be spent on communication,” he said.
Wide Open West, which also operates a cable franchise in Canton
Township, will keep the government station on Channel 10.
Anyone with concerns about the Comcast change is urged to call the local office at (734) 459-7300.
