Print this story |
E-mail story |
This story has 8 comments Add your own |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
Downtown businesses lobby for cable service
Published Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Photo by Tracy Agnew
Audra Taylor, center, explains to downtown business owners the procedure for getting cable service downtown. It is not impossible for many locations, Taylor said.
Fewer than 5 percent of the occupants of the downtown core have Charter cable, phone or Internet service. The Downtown Business Association is hoping to change that.
“It’s not an easy task, but I think it can be done,” said Andy Damiani, president of the association. “Some buildings are being restored, and now’s the time to put the system in.”
Many businesses in the downtown area have tried to get Charter services in the past, but were told that Charter was not available there. Robin Smith is one of the business owners turned down for Charter services.
“They told me it’s not there, so they can’t hook me up to it,” she said. Smith owns the Treasured Memories scrapbook accessories store at 1009 W. Washington St.
Other business owners have had similar experiences, Damiani said. The Charter lines don’t run to every building in downtown, and putting them in can be difficult and expensive, said Audra Taylor, a Charter business representative. Taylor met with downtown business owners at Wednesday’s association meeting to talk about the cable service.
“Sometimes you have to bore through parking lots and things of that nature,” she said.
Many business owners and residents in downtown have made the mistake of calling the 800 number for Charter, Taylor said. Instead, people should call her directly at 539-0713 to obtain service in the downtown area. If Charter is not already hooked up to the building, it usually can be, Taylor said.
“There’s very few places that I can’t go with it.”
If needed, Taylor will initiate a survey to see how far the lines need to run to the building. Some business owners have been asked to pay for running the lines, and that has turned them off in the past, Taylor said. However, if enough people throughout the area are interested in obtaining service, Taylor can work with them to “cover the cost by providing more service,” she said.
“I try to make it as cost-effective for them as possible,” Taylor said. “If we all just work together, we can determine who’s interested and start working.”
Kevin Hughes, acting director of economic development, said during the meeting that Charter’s services are needed for redevelopment in the downtown core.
Damiani agreed.
“How can you develop the downtown business district if you don’t offer Charter?” he asked.
For more information on Charter’s service in the downtown area, call Taylor at 539-0713. A follow-up meeting will be held in the future.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?
Comments
Posted by omg (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 8:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Direct TV is so much better than Charter. I made the mistake of switching from Direct TV to Charter 7 months ago. When I had direct TV my service would only go out during Hurricanes now my service goes out 1-3 times a month. I have a bundle package with them as well so when it goes out my phone,TV, and Internet goes out. An example....it went out on Sat morning and I did not get it resolved until Tuesday only after I had a fit with these people to come fix it. They told me they could not get anyone out to fix it until the 29th. NOT!!!! Do yourself a favor and get Direct TV.
Posted by KNRMCO (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I would not EVEN consider Charter Comm. as an option. We have had Primestar/Direct TV for the past 10 plus years. I have heard that Charter su@ks. Suffolk needs to get a national cable carrier like Cox or Comcast here. And while we are on the subject, Suffolk needs to get some sort of high speed internet in rural South Suffolk. I can only get dial up & that is about 5 (?) years behind the times! By the time it gets down here, I'll be dead & gone!
Posted by omg (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 10:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
KNRMCO....the high speed was my reason for switching to cable with Charter. I decided after that I would switch everything to them phone and cable to pick up on the bundle package. It has saved me over $100 a month but hell they get that back when my services are out for days at a time. I'm waiting for my contract to be up and i'm going back to Direct TV. I have also heard that Verizon is now doing high speed in my neighborhood. Have you checked with them? don't check it online you need to call them the online check tells you that you do not have it but when you call they say that you do have it.
Posted by KNRMCO (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes, I have tried the Verizon Broadband but canceled it after 1 1/2 months as it kept dropping the connection. I live all the way down in the boonies (abt 2 miles fr NC state line) across the road fr the Great Dismal Swamp. Verizon told me that I was on the edge of their coverage area, hence the constant drop off of a connection. Verizon was very gracious abt it & did not charge me for early cancellation. I have just purchased a new computer & I had to PAY for a modem! It seems that Dell doesn't even carry them as "standard" equipment anymore. I have called Verizon for the past 2 1/2 yrs abt high speed, but have been told it is not a high priority.
Posted by mose (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 11:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Business owners should contact the City Manager's office and ask about the Cable Trust Fund. This fund is to be used for the installation of cable services throughout the city of Suffolk.
Posted by omg (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 1:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
KNRMCO: well it looks like your in a rather hard spot. I have never used Verizon but now that you mention it other people have said the same. I would call the city manager's office as mose says maybe that would help you out.
Posted by Dougbaby (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 3:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Charter cable is a company that needs to go how can you come in a neighborhood and run cable lines on one side of the street and not the other i heard soo many stories how they ran there cable down one part of dutch road and not down the the other half same thing on lummis,copeland,jackson,manning,the list goes on the city needs to tell them to get the hell out and don't come back they have been unreliable for the last 20yrs they need to go and to all you sport fans they don't even offer The NFL Network Charter Sucks!!
Posted by faithful (anonymous) on June 28, 2009 at 8:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree that Charter needs to step it up. I have been with them about 4mos. In those 4mos. my cable, telephone, and internet has gone out aleast 6x a month. I have called them FROM my job to alert them and the only thing they can tell me is that they had an outage, somewhere........What kind of sense does that make? You have an outage somewhere that's not even in my neighborhood or surrounding area, but my services fail? That's crazy! Then they offer you a $3 credit, on a whole month, but I can be without services for a day or two? What if I have an emergency and my home phone is my primary phone? I will be OUTBACK!!!!! Yes, something has to be done, and fast! What was the purpose for switching over, if they are experiencing these problems now? I think THEY have made a HUGE mistake! Charter can't handle it now, give it another month, I guarantee they lose aleast 35-40% of their customers.
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)