Council discusses cable

Loss of revenue and complete loss of cable coverage in some areas are of major concern by the Covington City Council.

At the meeting on Tuesday, discussion of repercussions of the enactment of the Consumer Choice for Television Act, Act 433 passed and signed into law this past August by Gov. Bobby Jindal, included many potential problems.

The Council’s concerns arise from the effects such state regulation of local issues will have and whether the issues will conflict or override the city’s Home Rule Charter.

The act, designed to increase competition in cable franchising and regulate the fee structures, may result in loss of cable service entirely for some rural areas deemed unprofitable for anyone to serve. “Small municipalities will suffer,” said Councilman Marty Benoit.

Councilmen Lee Alexius and Benoit both said that the companies may be able to pick and choose the areas they will serve. This could result some subdivisions or nerighborhoods within a municipality with cable and others without service or service from a different company.

To complicate the matter even further, Charter Communication, the current cable provider for St. Tammany Parish, provides free cable to education and municipal facilities. Questions of whether these practices would continue are also a concern on the local level.

“The loss of negotiating power of the city with the cable franchisee is not an issue, because Covington provides no critical mass of customer base,” said Mayor Candace Watkins. “That is why we are treated like stepchildren by Charter,” she said.

Although no action was taken at the meeting, Alexius is working on an ordinance for the council to address the matter.

In other business, the ordinance authorizing Watkins to execute a contract with Eighteen 18 LLC was tabled at the request of the petitioners.

The move of all municipal offices to the Greater Covington Center, 417 N. Jefferson St. is now complete, although new furniture for some offices has not arrived, said Watkins. A date for the rededication of the building as the new city hall has yet to be set.

The expansion into former municipal offices by the Covington Police Department is planned, although specifics of the project are not yet complete, said Watkins.

An invitation for all citizens to participate in upcoming Martin Luther King Day activities was given by Councilwoman Frances Dunn.