GILROY
– Talk about shattered expectations. On a recent Friday evening,
Gilroy Mayor Tom Springer joined other dignitaries at a ceremony to
officially launch the Community Media Access Partnership or CMAP,
the city’s long-awaited public access television network.
GILROY – Talk about shattered expectations.
On a recent Friday evening, Gilroy Mayor Tom Springer joined other dignitaries at a ceremony to officially launch the Community Media Access Partnership or CMAP, the city’s long-awaited public access television network.
After coming home from the event that night, Springer switched on his television to see what was playing on the new community network, made possible in part by a major cable system rebuild the city negotiated with Charter Communications.
But what popped up on Springer’s screen wasn’t programming created and produced by other Gilroyans or Gavilan College students – it was QVC, the home-shopping network.
Armed with horror stories like these, Springer and the rest of the City Council brought their full verbal weight to bear on Charter representatives last Tuesday, blasting the company over ongoing delays in the cable system rebuild project, a chronic lack of accountability from officials and complaints of shoddy customer service.
And although Charter officials promised to sew up the work within two months’ time, Councilmembers remained skeptical the company would follow through. Springer even threatened to dump the service if it doesn’t shape up.
“The last few grains of sand are trickling through the hourglass for me as a Charter customer,” he said. When complete, the approximately $6 million rebuild and enhancement of the city’s cable system will offer Gilroyans options for expanded service over the 29-channel basic cable package, including 78 digital-quality channels, broadband Internet service and premium movie packages.
The work was originally due to be complete about a year ago, but that deadline came and went with Charter and the city locked in a dispute over the undergrounding of equipment that almost reached the legal arena.
The company received a deadline extension to Dec. 31, 2002, as part of a negotiated resolution of the dispute. But with the New Year come and gone – and the work still not complete – angry Councilmembers demanded a full report from the company.
Tuesday, Charter Area Vice President John Adams told Council the company is “very close” to completing the rebuild work.
