|
Cable company service under fire
Councilman Bujan claims lack of customer service
BY PHIL REYNOLDS SOUTH JETTY REPORTER
If you're mad about Charter Cable, City Councilman Charles Bujan wants to hear from you.
Bujan is so angry with the city's franchised cable service that he's asked for a discussion of Charter Cable to be put on the city council agenda for tonight, Thursday, May 15. The council meets at 5 p.m. in the council chamber, 710 W. Ave. A.
Charter Cable's city franchise expired in May 2005. However, the Texas Legislature that year passed a law that allows statewide cable and telecommunications franchises, eliminating the city's authority over a cable provider.
In 2005, the city planned to go before the Federal Communications Commission with a complaint that Charter Cable was "no longer active with its franchise," City Manager Michael Kovacs said at the time.
Bujan said, "My personal feeling is that there's absolutely no customer service when it comes to Charter Communications."
"You can't find them in the Yellow Pages," he continued. "There's absolutely nothing they do that's helpful."
Bujan said he knew of two instances where crews had disconnected cable lines from buildings and left the lines lying in alleys.
Bujan said he may ask that the council take the matter to the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which regulates such things as cable TV.
"The PUC needs to know these people are not user friendly," Bujan said. "Speaking as a consumer, if they have a license with the state, that license needs to be pulled."
He said he'd also be interested in exploring whether another cable company can get a franchise to operate in Port Aransas.
Charter Communications spokesman Kevin Allen said from Fort Worth that the company has had few, if any, complaints from the Port Aransas area.
"We have a robust customer service department that handles billions of calls," Allen said. "We have processes in place … to provide the best service possible."
Allen said he would call the city directly to explore what the company can do to ensure communications.
"When we had municipal franchises, we had contacts set up," he said. "Those haven't lapsed."
"It's our intent to provide customer service, because we're in a service industry," he said.
Bujan said he wants to hear from residents who have complaints about Charter Communications.
"Just let me know the problems they're having - and I suspect many of them will," he said. "If it's widespread, the city has to do something about it. If we have to take a legal route, then we have to do it."
Bujan can be reached by phone at (361) 749-4273 or by email at charlesbujan@hotmail.com.
| 
