Cox to Pay $60,000 in Cable Service Dispute

Settling a dispute over the quality of cable-TV service, the city reached a $60,000 agreement Tuesday night that will mean a refund to 33,000 Irvine subscribers.

The rebate, about $1.60 to each billing address from Cox Communications Orange County Inc., will be paid by the end of September, a company spokesman said.

Cox will pay a total $54,000 to cable subscribers and $6,000 to the city as part of the settlement, reached in closed session during a City Council meeting.

Though the rebate amount for the individual subscribers is relatively small, Councilwoman Paula Werner said, the settlement with Cox Communications sets an important precedent.

“It’s symbolic,” Werner said. “They know what’s expected of them and that the city will hold them to these expectations.”

The city sent Cox a letter of noncompliance in October stating that company-provided records indicated that service response times were slower than required by the city franchise agreement, which runs six more years.

The company disputed the city’s findings, but Cox public affairs director Mark Stucky said service response times have improved.

“There are a number of city standards for service, and we disagreed with the city on how the terms of the franchise agreement were measured,” Stucky said. “We believe we have cured the problem.”

Company records for the last quarter confirm an improvement in service response times, said City Clerk Judy Vonada, who said the company is now in compliance with the requirements.

Cox Communications provides cable-TV service to all of South County as well as portions of Orange, Tustin and Newport Beach.