Street Work to Bring Cable Service Choice

What may appear to be a mess and an inconvenience now will ultimately give Camarillo residents a choice of cable providers.

Residents will soon see markings on the streets that help cable TV workers locate gas, water, electric, telephone and cable lines. They will also see holes being dug for the new TV lines.

The work will cause some minor short-term inconvenience, but the benefit is having a choice between cable providers, said Larry Davis, Camarillo’s assistant city manager. When construction is completed in about six months, residents will be able to chose between the current provider, TCI, and a new firm, GTE Media Ventures.

All precautions will be taken to ensure that the project is safe, Davis said, including the use of people to control and direct traffic.

The cable company is responsible for restoring the street to a level, finished surface and removing the street markings after service lines to individual residences or housing complexes are complete.

Although the city held public hearings on the cable construction and GTE Media Ventures has displayed notices about the activity, many residents still seem to be unaware of what’s occurring, Davis said.

“There seems to be interest and concern about what’s going on and we’re just trying to get the word out.”