Levant, Adelphia nearing cable agreement

LEVANT – After more than four years of off-again, on-again negotiations, an agreement between Levant and Adelphia cable company appears closer to being settled.

Despite the progress, there still remained some sticking points that came up Wednesday as town selectmen and the town manager spoke with representatives of the cable company, which is in bankruptcy proceedings and is also pursuing a sale of its holdings.

The town wants assurances that should Adelphia sell its holdings to another business that the new owner will be financially capable and willing to meet the town’s cable needs. Town Manager Derek Goodine didn’t think the town should bear the cost of investigating any new owner.

“To us, in my opinion, that’s not an expense that we in a partnership in an agreement should have to go through because you choose to sell your company to another party,” Goodine told Kathleen Hounsell, area director of Government and Community Affairs and Shelley Winchenbach, area government relations manager, both of Adelphia.

Hounsell countered, however, that much of that work likely would already be done as part of court proceedings. Because of their bankruptcy filing, Hounsell said Adelphia is under unbelievable scrutiny and that anyone filing court papers would also be under tremendous scrutiny.

Because of the size of the cable companies, Hounsell also thought that any new owner likely wouldn’t want or need to change much in terms of how it deals with towns like Levant.

“I would think that the negotiations would be very similar regardless of who the entity is,” she said.

Another concern Goodine said he has raised in the past but which Selectman Scott Pullen brought up Wednesday is the prospect of getting free cable modem access at the town office. Cable Internet access is available in the school and Pullen argued that since Carmel has two schools and Levant only one that adding cable modem access to the Levant town office wouldn’t cost Adelphia any more money than what it is giving to Carmel.

That’s not likely, according to the Adelphia officials who said company protocol hasn’t provided for giving free Internet service to town offices.