GLENVILLE Officials mired in cable quarrel BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Time Warner Cable and the town are still at an impasse over what the town says were fees charged to subscribers that were higher than in the original contract. Earlier this year as the town was prepared to sign a new 10-year pact, a resident alerted town officials that the company was collecting a 5 percent “pass-through” fee from customers instead of a 2 percent fee that had been specifi ed in the town’s current cable agreement. The town believes that millions of dollars were mistakenly charged in the process and is seeking some type of reimbursement — perhaps through a public benefi t project. Time Warner offi cials said they believe they did nothing wrong. The town is considering a lawsuit and wants the cable company to stop collecting the fee. “We obviously disagree with their opinion,” said Supervisor Chris Koetzle. “We will vigorously defend our residents’ rights. We will pursue this as far as we need. It’s fairly clear. A contract is a contract.” ...................>>>>..........................>>>>......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00903&AppName=1
Bravo to Supervisor Koetzle! Here's what Glenville will contribute to OSM/Mercury Morris-NOTHING. Now the jellyfish on the Rotterdam Town Bored have a great example to follow.
History seems to be repeating itself in Glenville, where combative town Supervisor Chris Koetzle has decided to hold Time Warner Cable up for unspecified damages because, he says, it has been assessing a 5 percent fee on cable TV subscribers to cover its franchise fee when a contract signed with the town more than a decade ago limited the so-called pass-through to 2 percent. However, Time Warner emphatically disputes the claim, which Koetzle learned about when a resident showed up at a recent Town Board meeting to complain about it. But as with the supervisor’s recent battles with Schenectady County over joining its centralized dispatch system, and with Proctors over its attempt to get Glenville to share in the cost of the public access cable operation, it seems like Koetzle is making a big fuss over very little. The key to the Time Warner dispute is where the alleged Glenville overcharges have gone — straight back to the town. Koetzle doesn’t dispute that, and the pass-through fees are perfectly legal according to federal law, which permits cable companies to pass on the full cost of their 5 percent franchise fees to subscribers (though it doesn’t require them to). .............................>>>>....................>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00502&AppName=1
Right, it's horrible when the Glenville Supervisor actually fights for the money back for the taxpayers. I can see how the Gazetto would be upset that Koetzle is doing his job and not bending over to kiss the OSM Blarney Stone.
The Gazetto (aka the mouthpiece of the DEMS) is not able to sway anyone anymore. The damage is done, the party failed and November will be a massacre.