CABLE EXECUTIVES MEET CITY OFFICIALS; NEW PLAN AIMS TO QUELL ANGER OVER RATE INCREASE, OFFER MORE PRICE CHOICES.Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Daily News Staff Writer Executives of Comcast Cablevision met with two Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. City Council members to give a preview this week of the plan they hope will appease ap·pease tr.v. ap·peased, ap·peas·ing, ap·peas·es 1. To bring peace, quiet, or calm to; soothe. 2. To satisfy or relieve: appease one's thirst. 3. those critical of the service the company provides and the prices it charges. The company is expected to go before the full council Monday with the proposal that city officials said includes a new tiered pricing system Noun 1. pricing system - a system for setting prices on goods or services system - a procedure or process for obtaining an objective; "they had to devise a system that did not depend on cooperation" , as well as a new senior rate. ``My impression is that the cable company is working very hard to try to meet the demands that we put forward and they're moving in the right direction,'' said Councilman Glen Becerra, who had been involved in the meetings. ``Ultimately, we'll have to see how far they come, but they're definitely making a good-faith effort and that makes it easier to work together to solve the problem,'' Becerra said. ``What we want is a fair product for a fair price and we want choices. It's not a one-size-fits-all world and that's true for cable companies as well.'' Company officials did not return calls for comment. Executives from the company's Philadelphia headquarters met separately with Mayor Bill Davis For the artist, animator, creative director, see . For the baseball player, see .
The council lambasted the company last month, when the company brought forward a proposal to increase basic cable rates from $27.95 to $28.28. Members also complained that Simi Valley pays the highest cable rates of any area in Ventura County. Joe Rheah, the city's deputy director of the Community Services Department, said the city has filed a compliant with the Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. , objecting to the amount of the basic cable rates. Rheah would not comment on the specifics of the proposal because they weren't to be released until today, but he indicated that the new plan addresses many of the council's concerns. The cable company once had a tiered billing system, under which customers are able to choose the number of channels and pay a lower rate for fewer stations. But cable officials have said the option was taken out of the franchise agreement in 1993. Company officials also have said they already have a special rate for senior customers, but some customers have complained that cable operators do not make it available when they inquire in·quire also en·quire v. in·quired, in·quir·ing, in·quires v.intr. 1. To seek information by asking a question: inquired about prices. 2. about it. Also at Monday's meeting, the company is expected to resubmit Verb 1. resubmit - submit (information) again to a program or automatic system feed back return, render - give back; "render money" a new rate increase proposal. The new increase is reportedly slightly lower than the one they'd originally given to the council because they took out three premium channels that had erroneously er·ro·ne·ous adj. Containing or derived from error; mistaken: erroneous conclusions. [Middle English, from Latin err been included in the request. |
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