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1. Can Athens-Clarke County regulate the price of cable?

Athens-Clarke County cannot regulate any level of cable pricing. This is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) directive.

2. Does Athens-Clarke County have any control over internet service?

We cannot regulate internet service through cable providers. This is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) directive.

3. Why doesn't my TV provider offer certain channels?

The channels that a TV provider carries are up to the individual TV provider, except for limited provisions related to certain locally licensed and local public, education, and government (PEG) channels.

4. Why is there no cable competition for Charter?

Cable service in Athens-Clarke County is not a granted monopoly. The Cable Ordinance (Chapter 6-16 in the Athens-Clarke County Code) states unequivocally that there is no such thing as an exclusive cable franchise for the community and state that franchises also allow for multiple cable providers. Athens-Clarke County and Georgia can and will review any cable company's local franchise applications to provide competition in the community. In 2008, a statewide law in Georgia went into effect that allowed companies to apply - if they choose - for a statewide franchise agreement in lieu of multiple local ones. Only Charter (now Spectrum) and AT&T have applied for statewide video franchises and have notified the local government of intention to provide services in Athens-Clarke County. 

Additionally, there is no requirement where services must be provided in a community, so it is entirely up to individual companies as to where they provide any services. To date, no other cable companies have asked Athens-Clarke County for a franchise in Charter/Spectrum's service area, although satellite television providers also provide services without a franchise. The communities around the country that have multiple cable providers tend to be large cities and, even then, overlaps in services areas are rare to nonexistent.

5. What happens if I have a complaint about a video company?

First, you must contact that company's customer service directly (888-GET-CHARTER or online). If that fails to resolve the problem or you have further complaints, please address your concerns to the Athens-Clarke County Public Information Office through email to info@accgov.com or by calling 706-613-3795.

6. How does the move to statewide franchise for Charter change the complaint procedure?

Initially, the procedure stays the same - a customer must first call Charter. If that fails to resolve the issue, a customer can contact the Athens-Clarke County Public Information Office and submit a complaint through the complaint form, an email, or phone call that will be forwarded to our local Charter liaison.

7. How does the move to statewide franchise affect AT&T's video offerings?

AT&T has a statewide franchise for providing video services in a service area that includes Athens-Clarke County. This service - called U-Verse - has been implemented and has had profound effects on the way that customers can watch public, educational, and government (PEG) channels, such as local channels ACTV Channel180 (Athens-Clarke County Unified Government), Channel 15 (University of Georgia), and Channel 16 (Clarke County School District).

8. What are the concerns with AT&T's U-Verse treatment of PEG channels?

Note that ACTV Channel 180, UGA Channel 15, and Clarke County School District Channel 16 are not currently on AT&T's U-Verse system. AT&T's U-Verse service has caused some concern around the country with how it deals with local public, educational, and government Access (PEG) channels, such as ACTV Channel 180, UGA Channel 15, and Clarke County School District Channel 16 for example. Some of those concerns include:

• The grouping of all community PEG channels on channel 99; individual PEG channels cannot be accessed directly


• Users must navigate to channel 99, wait for software to load, then select the community and then the channel; the process can take from 20 seconds to over one minute, compared to near instantaneous viewing of all other channels


• PEG channels cannot be recorded through U-Verse's recording system (either by scheduling or watching live)


• Going from channel 99 to another channel requires 'backing out' instead of simply typing in a channel number directly


• Content quality is not delivered at the same quality as other channels

On January 30, 2009, a number of organizations and communities filed with the Federal Communications Commission a "Petition for Declaratory Ruling that AT&T’s Method of Delivering Public, Educational and Government Access Channels Over Its U-verse System is Contrary to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and Applicable Commission Rules."

The California Division of Ratepayer Advocates has posted a YouTube video showing the U-Verse PEG Viewing Experience.