More TV providers invited

Costa Mesa Mayor Eric Bever has taken a step toward welcoming more competition for the city’s cable TV company, Time Warner.

Bever recently asked city staff to draft a letter inviting telecommunications providers to do business with the city.

Many local customers have been complaining about Time Warner service, the city’s major provider of cable television, he said.

Residents have griped about inadequate customer service and irregular television service to the City Council.

A Time Warner spokeswoman said that the company would “welcome competition,” but added that it already competes with other providers, such as AT&T;, for residents’ television services.

Bever disagreed, saying that the playing field will be level only if all providers are granted Time Warner’s level of access to local programming and public access TV — a reason Bever cites that many people, including himself, choose to stay with Time Warner over other providers.

“Time Warner has a monopoly on our city feed — it’s the only agency providing that service and, as surprising as it may be, a lot of people choose that cable provider because they want to get city programming,” he said.

“Having more than one carrier providing that will increase competition in the market place and will benefit the quality of both the service and the price.”

His colleagues on the dais, who have held hearings on residents’ complaints about Time Warner’s services, agreed that it was an idea worth pursuing.

“I’m not opposed to it,” Councilwoman Katrina Foley said. “I guess we’ll see what happens.

“I don’t know enough about the telecommunications industry to know why they would or wouldn’t come to Costa Mesa.”

John Feeney, a resident who has been a vocal critic of both Time Warner’s services and the city council’s approach to the problem, said he welcomed the move and would consider changing cable providers, if the price were right.

“I mean, I’m in a business where we have to compete,” he said. “Competition will level the playing field — there are a lot of people in this city who stayed with Time Warner because they were the only [cable company] that provided local programming.”

Kristy Hennessey, Time Warner’s vice president of government and community affairs, said the company would continue striving to reach out to residents.

“We are absolutely committed to working with [city] staff and the city council, and any potential residents who may have concerns,” she said.

“That is the core of our business: providing excellent customer service.”

Bever’s letters are expected to be mailed sometime later this month.

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at chris.caesar@latimes.com.