ELECTIONS / Q&A; : Ventura Candidates Spell Out Cable Stance

The 14 candidates for the Ventura City Council were asked questions on three key issues facing the city. Today, they answer the third question, explaining their views on regulating the city’s cable television rates. The Question: After Century Cable in Ventura restructured its rates earlier this month, the council voted narrowly to submit an application to the Federal Communications Commission to become the local regulatory agency for basic service rates. Some council members say they do not think the city should regulate cable rates because it is not a utility and it may cost the city about $60,000 to $70,000 to regulate rates. Do you think the council should regulate basic service rates or leave it to the FCC to be the regulatory agency?

Steve Bennett

42; Nordhoff High School teacher

The homeowners on the east end of Ventura are essentially being serviced by one cable company, a monopoly. When prices are not regulated by healthy competition, the citizens of our country have usually decided to regulate a company’s rates. This regulation has always protected the service provider’s right to make a fair share of return on their investment and at the same time protected the consumer from unreasonable rate increases. I believe we should protect our citizens from the potential for unreasonable rate hikes until some healthy price competition develops for Century Cable.

Nancy Cloutier

61; owner-publisher Ventura County & Coast Reporter

I believe the council acted judiciously in its response to a public outcry by our citizens with regard to perceived abuses in the new restructuring of Century Cable’s TV rates. A major number of our citizens felt strongly enough to voice their concern and this concern has been ongoing in our city for several years. We should proceed with caution, however, not indulging in another layer of bureaucracy on our city government, but by the same token being sure Venturans get a fair shake in their cable rates.

Todd Collart

45; incumbent councilman, county land-use planner

I supported filing an application with the FCC for rate regulation authority to preserve the city’s options. I do not believe that regulation will change citizen dissatisfaction with cable services because the law allows companies to legally take advantage of the public. A case in point is the establishment of “basic service” that few people want and the inability of the city to challenge it. I favor cost-effective city oversight of the rates through cooperative efforts with other cities. More importantly, I favor competition and any other means the city can exert to redefine “basic service.”

Neil Demers-Grey

28; secretary

The City Council vote to join the FCC is an attempt to regulate basic service, and I view it as a waste of money. On the surface it appeals to those who want a symbolic threat to the cable industry, but what it will do is spend a great deal of city monies for very little reward and probably end up antagonizing the cable monopoly even further. The FCC should continue to regulate the cable industry with advisory input from localities such as Ventura, and residents should do one of two things--either organize to bring competition to the cable market or become less reliant on television for entertainment.

Charles Kistner

33; part-owner job evaluation/testing firm

Had I been on the council, the vote would have been different. The complainants should have been told to address Century Cable, band together and drop their subscriptions--that would get a response. Besides the money needed to regulate each year, staff stated that it would cost $150,000 for a consultant. We can’t afford to spend money at any time on things like this, especially now. $60,000 would put a DARE program in our high schools. By cutting frivolous expenditures we could keep nine officers in traffic enforcement. The council must represent all of us, not special interests.

Dick Massa

53; owner Ventura Medical Supply Inc.

Normally, I’m against regulation. But cable TV is a unique industry that develops geographical monopolies that it historically uses to its advantage. So, yes, in this instance, I believe regulation is necessary. However, as I stated at the City Council meeting when cable TV regulation was discussed, I think the best form of regulation is competition. Therefore, I think the city should actively recruit competition from some of the new telecommunications providers. The phone company, for example, is looking for test markets for its new fiber-optic cable system. Ventura would make an ideal test market.

Rosa Lee Measures

56; manager of her family’s trust investments

The council should not regulate cable rates. Cable regulation is a national issue. The city is struggling to retain budget priority services such as libraries, police and firefighters. We have to choose between regulation or safety services and education. Why add a level of costly regulation at the city level? The FCC should play the regulatory role. There are three possible ways of protecting cable users from abusive pricing--encouraging competition, relying on FCC regulation or introducing city regulation. City regulation is the least desirable, because of staffing costs. We have better uses for the money.

Jim Monahan

58; incumbent councilman, welding contractor

Since the city already negotiates a contract with the cable companies to provide service to our residents, we should also include a clause in the contract to regulate rates. We negotiate and regulate most other aspects of cable, such as public access channels and cable availability, so why not rates, too?

Clark Owens

57; real estate broker

I am philosophically opposed to regulation. However, I believe the city should exercise its power to oversee an industry that is, by definition, a monopoly. As such, basic cable services should be regulated. Basic rates and features vary widely between city cable suppliers. This is patently unfair to the community as a whole. The FCC is not equipped nor interested in dealing with regional issues as it relates to the cable industry. The cost to the city should be more than returned by the benefit provided our citizens in reasonable, affordable and understandable basic cable rates and services.

Brian Lee Rencher

33; Ventura College student

The city of San Buenaventura should stay out of the cable TV regulation business. This is a national issue and should be left in the domain of the FCC and Congress. Any meaningful regulation of these cable TV companies must come from Congress. As far as I’m concerned, Congress dropped the ball and is passing the regulatory burden onto local governments to avoid the issue, and what they gave local governments has absolutely no teeth in it to be effective. There are better uses for the $60,000 to $70,000 a year this watered-down legislation will cost the city to implement.

Ken Schmitz

33; certified public accountant

The intent of the legislation that led to the rate restructuring was to provide better service at less cost to the consumer. As could be expected, the result was less basic service at a higher cost. Normally, I do not believe government should be involved in the free-market process, but if the industry itself cannot set appropriate rates, then they invite government regulation. I would rather see local residents be able to address local regulatory agencies rather than dealing with the FCC. I would also request itemization of the cost estimate of $60,000 to $70,000.

Gary Tuttle

45; incumbent councilman, owner athletic shoe store

The council voted 4-3 to submit an application to the FCC. I voted with the majority. I believe that cable companies have a monopoly in Ventura and should be regulated to ensure fair practices and charges. The cost to the city will be about $60,000, but I think it’s money well-spent, especially since the FCC has indicated they won’t be regulating local cable companies. Somebody has to step forward, so the city has done so. The city must continue to regulate three monopolies for citizen protection. Those monopolies are cable companies, trash haulers and mobile home rents.

Virginia Weber

44; educational grants administrator

I think the FCC should be the regulatory agency. By having the city regulate cable rates, I believe it would be a duplication of the bureaucratic process the FCC already does. It is my understanding that even if Ventura’s application is approved, that if the cable companies comply with the regulations enacted by Congress, then the city will be almost powerless to do anything about them. I have a hard time understanding how we can spend $70,000 to increase government intervention when we cannot fully fund our libraries, police, and fire departments.

Carroll Dean Williams

51; manufacturing engineer

I think this issue requires some in-depth research on my part. I have always done my research. I have always been able to find those “flaws,” “frauds” and otherwise hidden elements in the reports that pass through City Hall.