BURBANK : City Council Rolls Back Cable TV Rates

Cable television subscribers in Burbank will get a slight reprieve when they receive their monthly bills from now on, thanks to a rate rollback enacted by the City Council.

The monthly charge for Sammons Communications’ basic Lifeline service, which includes over-the-air broadcast channels and public access stations, will be reduced 27 cents to $10.29, while the cost for renting cable converter boxes will be cut by up to 90 cents per month, depending on the type rented, city officials said.

Ron Stassi, director of the city’s Public Service Department, said the rate rollbacks will be retroactive to July 15 and subscribers will receive refunds for that period.

The rate changes are part of Burbank’s efforts to take advantage of the limited regulatory powers granted to cities over their cable TV franchisees under the 1992 federal Cable Television Act. The city has been certified by the Federal Communications Commission to regulate rates, Stassi said.

Sammons, which provides cable service to Glendale and Burbank and has about 70,000 subscribers in the two cities, is currently in negotiations with both cities for renewal of its franchise agreement.

Sammons subscribers in Glendale will not be affected by the Burbank rate rollback.

The company, whose service has been criticized by subscribers in surveys, is expected to agree to build a new fiber-optic system that will increase its channel capacity as a condition of its new franchise.

In addition to the monthly Lifeline fee and the equipment charges, Burbank also rolled back the hourly rate for service calls from $71.25 to $39.02--a drop of 45%.