GTE SEEKS CABLE FRANCHISE IN CONEJO.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

GTE California has applied for a cable television franchise with Thousand Oaks, the latest step in the telecommunications giant's plan for a nationwide service eventually to serve about 7 million homes.

If the application is approved by the city, Thousand Oaks would serve as the springboard for a new system to be completed by the end of 1998 offering broadcast, interactive and cable channels, said Larry Cox, state manager of public affairs for GTE California.

The service is expected to be offered in Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Camarillo and Santa Paula, as well as Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park. Preliminary plans for the service were announced in 1994.

"I would say probably in late spring or early summer we could start offering service (in Thousand Oaks)," Cox said.

GTE would become the third cable franchise serving the city, directly competing with Ventura County Cablevision and Falcon Cable TV, which together serve about 36,000 households in Thousand Oaks.

"We think we're going to do very well (in Thousand Oaks)," Cox said. "There's obviously customer demand. There's some dissatisfaction with current services."

A public hearing on GTE's application for a franchise is scheduled for the City Council meeting Tuesday, Cox said.

Cathy Koch, a member of the Citizens Advisory Cable Issues Committee for 14 years, said that complaints actually have declined in recent years about service from the two companies already holding cable franchises in the city.

"In all honesty, . . . the complaining is not there like it was 14 years ago, so someone must be doing something right," Koch said.

Managers of the two companies declined to comment Wednesday on GTE's plans.

From the beginning, the GTE service will provide CD-quality stereo sound, Cox said. By 1997 the video will be digital, offering a much sharper picture than conventional broadcast television, he added.

As planned, the service would offer 77 fully operating channels, compared with 59 active channels now offered by Ventura County Cablevision and 46 offered by Falcon Cable TV, both of which serve Thousand Oaks.

Pricing will also be "competitive," he said, though he declined to give details. "We consider that proprietary information," Cox said.

Ventura County Cablevision's standard package costs Thousand Oaks residents $24.54 per month. Falcon charges $24.95 for its expanded cable package. Prices do not include premium channels, company officials said.

Ventura County Cablevision president Dan Deutsch said he learned about GTE's franchise proposal Tuesday, but has not seen the agreement and hopes to get a copy by today.

"I still have to see what the agreement says," Deutsch said. "Without seeing the agreement it's hard for me to comment."

VCC serves about 32,000 customers in the city.

Steve Weingardt, regional manager for Falcon Cable TV, also would not comment on GTE's move. Falcon has about 4,000 subscribers in the city.

GTE officials expect to start construction on the system in February, with countywide completion expected by the end of 1998, Cox said.

By the year 2003, GTE hopes to be delivering broadcast, interactive and cable television to 7 million homes in 66 markets nationwide, Cox said.

One of several telecommunications companies interested in jumping into cable television, GTE began experimenting with the system in the mid-1980s by testing it in about 4,000 households and a few schools.

By laying its own coaxial and fiber optic network directly into homes, GTE hopes to compete with cable television services.

Koch said the increased competition could be good for local cable customers. "I think the people think the more that's there, the cheaper the price; that's the theory," she said. "But who knows what they're going to charge?"