CYPRESS : Addition of 7 Cable Channels Is Rejected

A request by the city’s cable operator to program seven additional channels has been tentatively rejected by the City Council.

The council last week decided to continue the item until Copley Colony Cablevision conducts a viewer-interest survey to see what types of programs are of interest to residents.

“The way it is now, you are asking us to give up channels without knowing what they are going to be used for,” Mayor Walter K. Bowman said.

Under a franchise agreement with the city, Copley Colony Cablevision must petition the council to add more channels, but the city cannot make decisions on programming.

“The whole area (programming) is preempted by federal law,” said John Cavanaugh, assistant city attorney.

However, Larry Carragher, general manager for the cable company, said the firm will comply with the request to conduct the survey and will not overlook the council’s suggestions on programming.

“It is our intention to deal with the city,” Carragher said.

The action allows the council to review each of the seven channels on an individual basis instead of giving blanket approval to all seven. The telephone survey is expected to be completed by the end of the summer, officials said.

In a related matter, the council agreed to join with the city of La Palma in a joint audit of Copley Colony. The limited audit, which will cost Cypress $3,250, will try to verify that the 5% franchise fee paid to the city is computed correctly. The accounting firm of Diehl, Evans & Co. of Rhode Island will conduct the audit.