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from: News Channel 9

Cable Wars Continue in Chattanooga

November 15, 2007
By Karen Zatkulak

It’s another bill that most everyone says is just too high — cable. But right now, folks in Chattanooga only have one choice for that service. City council members want to change the situation.

A few months ago, the Chattanooga city council voted unanimously to approve a plan where the Electric Power Board could offer another choice for cable and internet. But Tuesday night the Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association approached the council saying their research shows this system doesn’t always work AND will cost taxpayers more money if it fails.

In Dalton, Georgia Amanda Henson says it was just as easy for her to change her cable provider as it is for her to change the channel.

“I have more service for less money and I can’t beat that,” she said.

She says she saves nearly fifty bucks a month and that’s the reason she switched from Charter to Dalton Utilities. But that choice used to be out of her hands, with only one cable option,until the City of Dalton agreed to let their utility provider offer services as well, creating a system that Mayor Ray Elrod says really clicks with their citizens.

“I know there have been communities where it failed miserably,” he said. “But ours was not that way and has been very successful and I certainly think Chattanooga can do the same thing.”

But the Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association thinks otherwise. They say a recent study shows people don’t understand to idea behind the new fiber-to-home network. and say changing this service could cost you, the customer. Which is exactly what the TCTA told city council members last night. trying to convince them that this system failed in other cities and will do the same thing here. But city council members didn’t want to hear their research.

“This has all the characteristics of a push poll,” said Councilman Jack Benson. “This Memphis situation is like apples and oranges, you didn’t point out Dalton.”

And when we talked to the EPB, they said that Chattanooga needs Fiber to the Home infrastructure to compete for economic development opportunities…. and that Fiber to the Home will provide enhanced service to our electric customers. They say the community demand for superior products is significant.

Again, the plan with EPB has already been approved by the city council and is slated to go into effect by the summer of 2008.