Houlton seeks plan for 2nd cable system Pine Tree Cablevision to provide service

HOULTON – Two days after the Town Council voted to begin negotiations with a second company for cable TV service, the town has sent a letter to its primary provider asking the company to submit construction and startup plans.

The town has asked for a detailed plan from Pennsylvania-based Pine Tree Cablevision by Sept. 1, with construction of a cable-service system to begin no later than Sept. 27.

Pine Tree Cablevision has held the contract as the primary provider of cable TV service in Houlton since Oct. 3, 2000. Implementation of that contract was delayed when the former provider, NEPSK Inc, now doing business in Houlton as Polaris Cable Services, sued the town when it did not get a contract renewal.

On March 13, the U.S. 1st District Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the town, paving the way for Pine Tree to proceed with installation of cable service equipment in Houlton.

“This letter establishes the fact that the contract has started,” Town Manager Peggy Daigle said Wednesday. “We want to see Pine Tree doing what they’re supposed to be doing: Up and running in the town of Houlton.”

Federal law prohibits the town from offering an exclusive contract to one company. Polaris has been requesting a competing contract since 2000.

At Monday’s Town Council meeting, the council voted 5-1 to begin negotiations with Polaris for that second franchise.

Wednesday’s letter to Walter Kemmerer, Pine Tree president, asks the company to develop a comprehensive work plan with a time schedule for implementation of service in Houlton, including the transition of service from Polaris.

A critical issue in the letter is the town’s request for information on how Pine Tree plans to implement service without any prolonged interruption of programming.

During a telephone interview on Tuesday, Kemmerer said he was waiting to see how negotiations between the town and Polaris went before moving forward.

Kemmerer has tried unsuccessfully to buy out Polaris Cable, a key step in his efforts to provide service to the town. He said on Tuesday that it was not his intention to install his new cable lines along the utility poles next to those of Polaris.

With regard to the possibility of having two cable providers in the town, Daigle said the issue was more one of having quality service in the town rather than who is providing it.