Chappy’s Desire

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

As the Islandwide cable advisory board finishes up its negotiations with Comcast cable for a new 10-year license for cable TV coverage of Martha’s Vineyard, property owners on Chappaquiddick are apprehensive and hopeful of support from the rest of the Island of Martha’s Vineyard in obtaining cable TV for Chappaquiddick. Comcast has so far shown little interest in cabling Chappaquiddick, citing excess cost to do so. The advisory board has shown Comcast representatives that in addition to about 850 dwellings not presently served on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard, there are more than 520 not served on Chappaquiddick. Edgartown town officials have shown Comcast representatives the possibility of using newly-laid NStar conduits across the harbor and has encouraged Comcast and NStar to reach some sort of agreement to share those conduits laid under public waterways and rights of way. NStar has offered Comcast the use of its conduit. This hurdle of a short 800 feet has been overcome and it is now time to insist that Comcast run its cable across to Chappaquiddick. I’ve included a listing of every Chappaquiddick dwelling and street length, which has been provided to the advisory committee and its lawyer, William Solomon.

The document shows that density of housing units on Chappaquiddick is not any less dense than what Comcast has already agreed to cable on the main Island in the last 10-year license — 15 houses per mile. In fact, 20 miles of cabling on Chappaquiddick would pass 98 per cent of the 522 houses on Chappaquiddick. That figures to 27 houses per mile.

Property owners on Chappaquiddick have shown their overwhelming desire to have Comcast cable TV and Internet service made available to their properties. Chappaquiddickers would like to enjoy MVTV community programming including youth sports activities, town board meetings and the other community-generated programming which has been available to the rest of the Vineyard for the last 20 years.

Chappaquiddick propery owners provide about 18 per cent of Edgartown’s tax revenue which also goes to Islandwide services like the regional high school district, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and many other Island endeavors.

Indeed, Chappaquiddick is part and parcel of Martha’s Vineyard and should be included in any regional Islandwide deal with Comcast for a 10-year license. I would like to ask all on Martha’s Vineyard to please indicate your support for including all of Martha’s Vineyard, Chappaquiddick too, in the renewed license with Comcast. An e-mail or letter to your selectmen would be most appropriate.

Roger Becker

Chappaquiddick

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A Town’s Obligation

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Comcast’s decision to ignore the residents of Chappaquiddick, while unethical, can at least be rationalized on economic terms. The Edgartown selectman have no such excuse. Elected officials are obligated to represent all of their constituents, not favored segments of that group. Perhaps those selectman who are unable to fulfill this obligation should consider resigning immediately.

Jonathan and Suzzanne Cobb

Chappaquiddick

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Accept No Less

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

As an Edgartown taxpayer, I would like to add my support for universal coverage for all of Martha’s Vineyard via the Islandwide Comcast contract. We should accept no less for all our citizens.

Dennis Goldin

Edgartown

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Not Too Early

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Three years ago several hundred Chappaquiddick residents petitioned the Edgartown selectmen to support efforts to provide cable service to our Island. This month, with the issue in the hands of an all-Island cable advisory board, a draft agreement ready to present to Comcast for approval apparently leaves Chappy out in the cold. So Edgartown would sign on to an agreement to financially enhance MVTV, a service unavailable to Chappy without cabling. The greater need, as last week’s Gazette editorial pointed out, is the ability to connect to the Internet.

Edgartown selectman Arthur Smadbeck’s casual reflection on bringing Comcast on board to Chappy is beyond disappointing: “We’re not at the bridge to cross yet. I haven’t given it any thought. It’s way too early,” he said in an interview.

The town selectmen can exert bargaining pressure in ongoing negotiations with the cable provider. It is not too early. It is time for these elected officials to act.

Bob O’Rourke

Chappaquiddick

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The Revenue Side

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I am a Chappaquiddick resident who has been waiting for many years to have Comcast provide us with cable coverage. The reason for not providing service is usually couched in financial terms: Comcast is required to take “into account the cost of meeting such needs and interests.” However, there is also a revenue side to this business decision, so Comcast also has an obligation to its stockholders to determine if revenues over some period of time will exceed costs.

I have one simple question to ask: Has Comcast ever presented to the cable advisory board, or to the Edgartown selectmen, a full financial analysis of the estimated costs and revenues associated with providing service to Chappy?

If not, then any decision will be a travesty. If the analysis is available, have the details been made available to the public? I do not recollect Chappy residents being asked by Comcast how much they would be willing to pay for cable service, so I am curious how the revenue side could be estimated in the first place.

Stephen Pollock

Chappaquiddick