Norway upgrading cable TV service
By LISA M. HOFFMANN,Staff WriterArticle Photos
Fact Box
Norway TV
upgrade
- Cable TV,
phone, Internet
options available
NORWAY - Norway cable television customers will soon have the option of a triple play package.
That package includes Internet, phone and cable tv services for about $100 a month.
City council has approved a bond resolution at a price not to exceed $1.25 million. The funds will be used to upgrade to the city's cable television project, which includes this package.
City Manager Ray Anderson said there is a 45-day referendum period with this resolution. This is where the public can visit City Hall and get information on the bond resolution.
"This is a project that will make necessary improvements to the system so we can increase our capacity for adding channels and other services, such as Voice Over Internet protocol and will increase efficiency and performance on the Internet," Anderson said. "The bottom line - we are going to compete with the triple play market, such as Charter, AT&T."
Anderson said the city will be able to offer phone, Internet and cable tv services at a competitive rate.
"I think we will be extremely competitive with our rate," he said.
Currently, Norway cable television customers pay $32 for 50 stations.
"We anticipate for city residents they will have 74 channels for $40 with the upgrade. We also anticipate Internet (cable high speed Internet) will stay the same for $32 a month," Anderson said.
Anderson said the cable company will also have the opportunity to offer what he thinks is high performance packages on the Internet.
"The new offering, which will be well received, is unlimited local and long distance phone service through the Internet. It will be the low for what they will pay for - $30 or under. It won't be over $30 a month," Anderson said. "If you purchase all three packages, it will discount the total by $10. It will be $100 for all three services."
For customers who only purchase two of the three services, the discount will be $5.
Jim Bryner, chief technician for city of Norway CATV, said the reason the city can offer these rates is because they are teaming with Packerland Broadband, a division of Cable Constructors with 40 companies in Wisconsin.
"Instead of us investing $500,000 to $750,000 dollars in equipment, they are going to transport those services over to us and charge us per subscriber," Bryner said. "We do not have a large capital outlay."
This means by not purchasing but using equipment from Packerland allows the city to offer cheaper rates.
Unless a petition requesting a vote signed by not less than 10 percent of registered voters is filed, the revenue bonds will be issued without a vote of the electors.
The city goal is to have the services in place by June 1, 2009.
Anderson said the city does have a tentative television alignment in which residents can call City Hall and stop by to pick up.
This alignment includes Norway Township residents.
They will pay a few dollars more than city residents, he said.
In regards to all television stations' transition to digital television to take place next year, Anderson said the city cable has five stations - 3, 6, 10, 13 and 11 - they had to deal with.
"We have not yet made the transition. We will make the transition Nov. 1 to Nov. 15," Bryner said.
Lisa M. Hoffmann's e-mail address is lhoffmann@ironmountaindailynews.com.
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tRANIS
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10-06-08 5:36 PM
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This quote seems to say Wisconsin "...because they are teaming with Packerland Broadband, a division of Cable Constructors with 40 companies in Wisconsin." Anyway, thats great if they are here. I guess one other issue is going to be the people on fixed incomes. $100 is going to be hard. True, I would assume most won't have all three but there should be something in there for them. On the Charter idea, I would be against that in a huge way. They are over priced and have bad internet practices ie throttling. I will still say that Norway should use that money elsewhere though like sidewalks, and streets which are so bad everyone walks in the street.
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danno4748
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10-06-08 3:38 PM
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why pay so much money when we have charter on both sides of us why cant we have a choice this is 2008 going on 2009 paying 1.2 million on cable TV put that money into are roads in the city not TV LET CHARTER COME IN INSTEAD OF WASTE MORE MONEY THE CITY DON"T HAVE. THE CITY BUILD A LOG CABIN DOWN BY THE POWER PLANT FOR 80,000.00 WE DID"NT NEED THAT THEY WASTE ALOT OF MONEY IN THIS CITY LET CHARTER COME IN AND SAME MONEY NOT WASTE MONEY I WOLD VOTE NO ON THAT BILL
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Golffan
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10-06-08 2:56 PM
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tRANIS, Cable Constructors is based in Iron Mountain. Cable Constructors OWN's Packerland Broadband and this is also located in Iron Mountain. Packerland Broadband owns cable systems in Wisconsin. The money goes to a local firm with employees that also live in Norway. It's a win win.
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tRANIS
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10-06-08 2:38 PM
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Yeah of course give money to Wisconsin! I'm sorry but it should be illegal as a municipality to give money to someone out of state for services. This seems to me like Gladstone all over again. Yeah their service wasn't great but at least it was something. Better off to leave it like it was and maybe spend some money on roads and sidewalks!
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