For an idea of the importance of AT&T’s proposed merger with MediaOne to cable and telecom providers, one need look no further than the little Village of Nelsonville.
Last Monday’s Village Board of Trustees meeting brought out representatives of not one, but two telecom/cable providers to argue their cases, pro and con, before the Board and attending residents.
Marion Mittler, Bell Atlantic’s Director of Community Affairs, expressed Bell Atlantic’s opposition to the AT&T/MediaOne merger, which she termed "bad for consumers and bad for competition." Bell Atlantic objects to a concentration of "vast cable assets with one company," maintaining that the new company will pass 61 percent of U.S. homes. Ms. Mittler said that eliminating a potential competitor would do nothing to stem the recent rise in cable rates. Bell Atlantic is also concerned that the merger will result in a lack of open broadband access for users with cable modems - that AT&T might either charge twice or provide inferior access for other Internet Service Providers. Bell Atlantic requested that Nelsonville: 1) review the merger closer; 2) require AT&T to keep cable rates at "competitive levels"; and 3) ask the New York State Public Service Commission to require AT&T to provide open access to its cable network, so that unaffiliated Internet Service Providers are not discriminated against.
MediaOne’s Vice President for Law and Public Policy, James P. Campbell, refuted Ms. Mittler’s points one by one, saying that the merger would provide "a clear competitive choice" for consumers. He questioned the figures cited by Ms. Mittler, calling the mentioned percentages "high," and said that the SEC would address the questions of a potential monopoly at the Federal level. He argued that the merger would not increase cable rates, and said that Bell Atlantic was only opposing the deal to keep a large segment of the market to themselves. Mr. Campbell said it was "not true" that other ISP’s would be denied access to AT&T’s cables, or provided with inferior lines.
The Board of Trustees indicated they would be reviewing all the material relevant to the proposed merger, and tabled the matter until the following month.
The Board and residents in attendance appeared more concerned with the ongoing Route 301 construction project, which continues to impact Nelsonville on a daily basis. Trustee Gary Watkins, delivering the Mayor’s report in the absence of Mayor Bill Merando, said that the Mayor or one of the Trustees was meeting daily with Thalle Construction, the State’s contractor on the project. In a recent meeting with Thalle, the Trustees stressed that Nelsonville residents must be kept informed of construction-related events. After a recent meeting with a Main Street resident who was experiencing flooding, Thalle agreed to install a drain on his property. Thalle also agreed to put a grate on a recently installed four-foot pipe, at the Village’s urging. Trustee Watkins said that in response to complaints about the height of the curbing, engineers from the DOT came down to re-survey and review the project. Trustee Mitch Dul said that the DOT had reinstated at least one parking space in front of Charlie’s Deli, after complaints by the Village Board. The DOT also reworked the slope of a vehicle ramp leading to the Zenz property, so vehicles would not bottom out entering or exiting.
Commenting on storm damage from Tropical Storm Floyd, Trustee Watkins said that a culvert at the new bridge on Route 301 started to collapse during the storm, washing out the embankment. The Nelsonville Fire Department responded, diverting traffic onto Healy Road. Trustee Watkins expressed thanks to the fire department for their quick response. Trustee Watkins said that a stop sign was recently installed at Healy and Moffett Roads, and new speed limit signs for the village were being ordered. He also reported that work had begun on the Healy Road drainage/resurfacing project.
Trustee Mitch Dul called the recent Trail Cleanup Day, which was organized by the Village’s Greenway Committee, a "remarkable success." He said that over 8,000 lbs. of trash, including stoves, water heaters and at least six vehicles, were removed from the woods of the Open Space Institue property in Nelsonville during the cleanup. Trustee Dul and Greenway Committee co-chairman Walter Garschagen expressed thanks to the many volunteers and contributors to the cleanup, including Charlie’s Deli and Karta Containers. Trustee Watkins noted that the County had also contributed work gloves and trash bags to the effort. The Greenway Committee also recently met with a property owner to discuss access to a trail on the OSI land that is now blocked. The Committee has mapped out the trails on the OSI land and will be marking them shortly. They also met with a representative of the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference to discuss a possible new trail to connect with the Underhill Trail. The Greenway Committee feels that Nelsonville should join the New York/New Jersey Trail conference.
In other matters, Trustee Watkins said that inmates from the Putnam County Department of Corrections recently painted the exterior of the Village Hall. They will also paint the interior of the building. The status of work on the Village Green Park remained the same as the previous month, because of difficulties obtaining a contractor. However, Mr. Watkins reported that a contractor was scheduled to begin work on installation of the bluestone walkway the following week.
The Nelsonville Board of Trustees holds their monthly meeting on the first Monday of each month, at 8:00, at the Village Hall on Main Street in Nelsonville.
