OJAI : Re-Regulation of Cable Service Sought

Ojai officials have decided to write their legislators asking them to re-regulate the cable television industry.

Ojai Mayor Nina Shelley said she gets calls at home from subscribers who say they don’t get a response, explanation or apology from their local provider when a service interruption occurs.

“There are never, never any responses as to why there are outages for several hours, why the picture quality is out and never any apologies,” Shelley said.

The Ojai City Council has ordered City Hall employees to log all phone calls and letters complaining about cable subscriber rates and service.

“We get a steady stream,” City Manager Andy Belknap said. “But the Cable Act has basically wiped out all our franchise regulations.”

The council voted to write state and federal legislators after Belknap said any power the city once had to pull the plug on its service franchise ended in 1984 when Congress passed the Cable Communications Policy Act, which deregulated the industry in an attempt to spur competition.

In 1984, Ojai granted an exclusive, 15-year service contract to Storer Cable, which was sold to Ventura County Cablevision.

Dan Deutsch, vice president of operations, said that the company has 2,900 subscribers in the city and that they are encouraged to attend a public hearing the city will hold next spring.

Deutsch said the cable company has spent several million dollars rebuilding its trunk lines into the Ojai Valley, has increased its service staff and has lengthened its customer service hours until 6 p.m. It also operates a 24-hour phone line for repair problems.