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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001/10/11 - ADMIN - Minutes - Community Technology Advisory Commission - RegularOFFICIAL MINUTES ST. LOUIS PARK TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MEETING OF OCTOBER 11, 2001 AT 7:00PM ST. LOUIS PARK CITY HALL WESTWOOD ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Bruce Browning, Rick Dworsky, Dale Hartman, Ken Huiras, Bob Jacobson and Mary Jean Overend MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Reg Dunlap, Civic TV Coordinator and John McHugh, Community TV Coordinator OTHERS PRESENT: Arlen Mattern, Time Warner Cable’s Public Affairs Administrator and Debra Squire, Time Warner Cable’s Director of Customer Service 1. Call to order Chair Huiras called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. 2. Roll Call Present at roll call were Commissioners Bruce Browning, Rick Dworsky, Dale Hartman, Ken Huiras, Bob Jacobson and Mary Jean Overend; Time Warner Cable’s Public Affairs Administrator Arlen Mattern and Director of Customer Service Debra Squire, and City staff John McHugh and Reg Dunlap. 3. Approval of Minutes for August 9, 2001 Moved by Commissioner Overend, seconded by Commissioner Browning, and passed unanimously. 4. Adoption of Agenda 5. New Business 6. Old Business A. Time Warner Complaints/Customer Service update Chair Huiras welcomed Debra Squire, Time Warner Cable’s Director of Customer Service. Ms. Squire said some digital cable customers have been missing some of the 200 digital channels lately. The problem was caused because this was the first division to install the DNCS software, and Time Warner has to rely on Scientific Atlanta (converter box manufacturer) engineers to implement the new software. The software worked fine on S.A. 2100 boxes, but the S.A. 2000 boxes didn’t work and it took a week to fix the problems. Digital cable customers will get an apology and 7 day’s credit on their bill. Ms. Squire said that effective October 20, customer’s bills would change, with a more understandable format that will, for example, identify 1 free month of cable credit when needed, and clarify PPV movie billings. Ms. Squire said the company is establishing specialized cubes in call centers to match telephone menu options (i.e., sales, digital, Roadrunner), and plans to increase management staff by 4 people, so customers can more easily speak to a manager if needed. She said the company is planning to allow customers to pay bills on the web site, as they now may do over telephone. Commissioner Browning asked about empowering the customer service reps, the way DirecTV has; Ms. Squire said that a customer service empowerment program is starting to be implemented, as part of the new billing system that allows easier viewing of customer bills. Chair Huiras asked if team leaders would have authority to offer credits, and Ms. Squire said that all CSR’s would be certified and authorized to do so. Chair Huiras asked about the number of CSR’s that are available, since last year Ms. Squire said it was hard to fill all positions. Ms. Squire said that they were up to a full complement of 92 Minneapolis-based CSR’s with 12 more available on an overflow basis in Two Harbors, and that some past employees have been rehired, which adds to the experienced CSR pool. Commissioner Dworsky asked if the company was going to make the system detect customers when they call; Ms. Squire said yes, and that they were considering voice recognition and instant surveying as well. Commissioner Dworsky asked about the longest time that a customer is on hold. Ms. Squire said that it depends on the queue; for sales and billing, 90% are helped in 30 seconds, and in for technical support, about 70% are helped in 30 seconds. Commissioner Jacobson asked what percentage St. Louis Park represented of all Time Warner’s metro area customers. Mr. Mattern said it was about 6 or 7%. Ms. Squire said customers are helped on a first-come, first-served basis, and that it doesn’t matter where the call originates. She said they are considering an interactive S.A. channel to help the digital cable customers understand how to use all the services on the S.A. boxes. Chair Huiras said a common complaint is holding and being cut off, and asked if something needs to be fixed. Ms. Squire said that the current automatic response unit (ARU) is analog, and a digital ARU will be installed in January that will work better, and allow video on demand (VOD). Chair Huiras said another problem is the menu of options the customer has to use to reach an operator. Ms. Squire provided a copy, and Chair Huiras asked that it be entered into the minutes. (See attached “New ARU Structure and voice segments”). Mr. Dunlap asked when competitive Internet Service Providers would be available on the system. Ms. Squire said the trials are underway, and the alternate ISP’s could be available in the summer of 2002. Commissioner Overend asked if Time Warner has a disaster plan, and Ms. Squire said that they do for the head ends. At the conclusion of the questions for Ms. Squire, Chair Huiras thanked her on behalf of the Commission and she left. B. Time Warner request to consider marketing survey for franchise-required survey Mr. McHugh said that the only question about programming is about digital programming, unlike the franchise-required questions about programming not offered on the cable system. Commissioner Overend expressed interest in why folks did not subscribe to cable, and therefore missed out on lots of information and programming. Mr. Mattern said for some people, it’s cost, and others say they don’t watch television enough to subscribe. Chair Huiras said that the Commission had spent a lot of time on the survey requirement in the past, and asked if we were beating a dead horse. Commissioner Browning said that all of the discussion probably hadn’t made much difference. Commissioner Jacobson made a motion that Time Warner provide a copy of the Spring 2001 survey to be made available at City Hall for public scrutiny, and that this survey should be deemed to fulfill the franchise-required survey for 2001. Commissioner Dworsky seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. C. Proposal to audit Time Warner Cable franchise fees paid to the City Mr. Dunlap said that he has been collecting the names of auditing firms that specialize in auditing cable television and media companies, and expects to draft an request for proposal shortly. Commissioner Dworsky asked if there was a good time for Time Warner to perform the audit. Mr. Mattern said December would be a good time. Commissioner Dworsky made a motion to perform an audit before the end of the year. Commissioner Browning seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. D. School District request for 2nd channel (to include NASA coverage) Mr. McHugh passed out a copy of a letter from Kim Roden of Time Warner Cable and a draft response. Commissioner Jacobson asked staff for a summary of what needed to be done. Mr. McHugh said that Ms. Roden’s letter disallows our second channel need, and plans to provide NASA shuttle mission coverage on Time Warner Local Origination channel, preempting other programming like School Board meetings and high school sports for 7-10 days at a time. The School District & City proposal adds a channel for NASA and any future educational needs that may arise. Commissioner Jacobson said that our idea sounds better, and that if we have the chance to do it, we should. Chair Huiras asked staff for a recommendation. Mr. McHugh said that if the Commission feels the 2nd educational access channel is worth while, it could recommend to Council that the 2nd channel should be provided within the franchise specified 6-month window or it should be considered a franchise violation. Chair Huiras and Commissioner Browning said that it didn’t seem unreasonable to expect this. Commissioner Dworsky made a motion to proceed with the request for a 2nd educational access channel within the 6-month timeline. Commissioner Overend seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. E. MACTA Funding for 2001-2002 lobbying Mr. Dunlap said that the Minnesota Association of Telecommunications Advisors (MACTA) had sent a specific request for $593.31 for lobbying funding for the 2002 Legislative Session. Commissioner Jacobson made a motion to approve MACTA’s request, which was seconded by Commissioner Browning and passed unanimously. F. School District request for funds for uninterruptable power supply (UPS) Mr. McHugh said that the proposed expense is about $1,500 for 3 UPS’s and another $1,000 for a demodulator, instead of the $4,000-$6,000 expense budgeted 3 years ago for a satellite dish. The cost savings helps, and the UPS was stated to be the most urgent need for providing a 2nd educational channel. Commissioner Jacobson asked if they could use the money for anything else, and Mr. McHugh said no, because the City would handle the purchasing. Commissioner Jacobson made a motion to approve the School District request. Commissioner Hartman seconded and the motion passed 5-1, with Chair Huiras opposed. Chair Huiras said that the City had approved $50,000 for School District funding earlier in the year and he felt the money should have come from those funds. 7. Reports 8. Communications from the Chair Chair Huiras asked if the Commissioners whose terms expire at the end of the year were going to reapply; Commissioner Hartman said yes, and Commissioner Dworsky said he’d get back to staff on this. Chair Huiras asked if there had been a draft of the 2002 Work Plan yet, and Mr. Dunlap said no. Commissioner Overend suggested nudging the School District on providing internships for students as a topic, and something on educating senior citizens accessing information through cable TV. Chair Huiras said to add an item on enlightening the public on the benefits of local programming on cable TV. 9. Communications from City staff Mr. Dunlap said that an important Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision had gone against the City of Pasadena in the last few days, and that there would be more information about this at the next meeting. He also said that the $50,000 approved by the Commission and City Council had been sent to the School District, and that Barbara Pulliam, Tom Marble and Charlie Fiss had all been notified about the grant. 10. Adjournment Commissioner Browning moved to adjourn at 9:25pm, the motion was seconded by Commissioner Jacobson and passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Reg Dunlap Recording Secretary Attachment: “New ARU structure and voice segments” New ARU structure and voice segments To view flowchart, click here Greeting: Intro: Thank you for calling Time-Warner Cable. To continue in English, please press I. (send to Main Menu) To continue in Spanish, please press 2. (send to Spanish Main Menu) To repeat this menu, please press the star key Main Menu: Intro: Please listen carefully as our menu options have changed. If you are interested in new service, please press 1 (send to Sales Menu) If you are calling regarding an existing account, please press 2 (send to Existing Customer Menu) Sales Menu: If you would like to speak with a sales professional about television services, please press 1. (send to 4903) If you are interested in Road Runner service for your home, please press 2 (send to 4911) For Road Runner internet service for your business, please press 3 (send to 2323) To repeat this menu, please press the star key To return to the previous menu, please press the pound key (send to Main Menu) Existing customer menu: To use our automated services, including credit card payment options, please press 1 (send to Automated Services Menu) To change your television services, please press 2 (send to 4903) To change your Road Runner Services, please press 3 (send to 4911) If you have questions about your bill, please press 4 (send to 4900) For customer support, please press 5 (send to Technical Menu) To repeat this menu, please press the star key. To return to the previous menu, please press the pound key (send to Main Menu) 03/15/01 10:16 AM ARU voice segments -Feb 2001.doc Technical menu: For help with your Road Runner service, please press 1 (send to RR Support Submenu) For help with your television service, please press 2 (send to Cable Support Submenu) To repeat this menu, please press the star key To return to the previous menu, please press the pound key (send to Existing Customer Menu) Automated Services Menu: To make a credit card payment, please press 1 (send to Speedpay) For information on your current account balance or last payment, please press 2 (send to application Account Balance Inquiry) To reauthorize your digital terminal or converter, please press 3 (send to application Converter Refresh) To confirm a scheduled appointment, please press 4 (send to application Appointment Confirmation) To anonymously report theft of cable, please press 5 (send to Cable Theft Mailbox-6355) For service center locations and hours, please press 6 (send to Service Center Directions Menu) If you would like channel line up information mailed to you, please press 7 (send to Channel Lineup Mailbox-4914) To speak to a representative, please press 0 (send to 4901) To repeat this menu, please press the star key To return to the previous menu, please press the pound key (send to Existing Customer Menu) Road Runner Support: Intro: Help is always available through our online help desk and through Road Runner Medic. Visit help.rr.com for more information. For assistance with Road Runner Personal Home Pages, or if you are having difficulty connecting to some web sites but not all, please press 1 (send to NHD) For support of your Road Runner installed home network, please press 2 (send to 4912) For any other Road Runner residential support, please press 3 (send to 4912) For support of all Road Runner business services, please press 4 (send to 2323) To repeat this menu, please press the star key To return to the previous menu, please press the pound key (send to Technical Menu) 03/15/01 10:16 AM ARU voice segments -Feb 2001.doc . Cable Support Menu: Intro: Many service problems can be fixed by reauthorizing your digital terminal or converter. If you would like to try this, please press 1 (send to application Converter Refresh) * Silent option -press 2 (send to 4901) For any other television service support, please press 0 (send to 4901) To repeat this menu, please press the star key To return to the previous menu, please press the pound key (send to Technical Menu) Service Center Directions Menu: Our cable service center hours are 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays. For directions to our Minneapolis service center, please press 1 Our Minneapolis service center is located in our main office building at 801 Plymouth Avenue North. The building is 1 block west of the intersection of Lyndale Avenue and Plymouth Avenue North. Plymouth Ave. runs parallel to West Broadway four blocks south of Broadway. For directions to our St. Louis Park service center, please press 2 Our St. Louis Park service center is located at 3516 Beltline Blvd. To get to the service center, follow 36th Street east from Highway 100 to Beltline Blvd. Turn left on Beltline. The building is on the left hand side about one block from 36th street. For directions to our Richfield service center, please press 3. Our Richfield service center is located 4 blocks south of the crosstown at 6540 Penn Avenue south in the Penn-66 shopping center . For directions to our Fridley service center, please press 4. Our Fridley service center is located at 350 63rd Avenue northeast. The building is located on the East Side of University Avenue. Go east on Mississippi Street, Turn right on 5th Street northeast and go to 63rd Avenue. Turn right on 63rd. The service center is on the left-hand side I block from the frontage road. For directions to our Bloomington service center, please press 5. Our Bloomington service center is located at 5234 W. 84th street in the Normandale Center Mall. The Mall is one block east of the intersection of 84th street and Nortnandale Blvd.lfyou are coming from the north, take Highway lOO south. Highway 100 becomes Normandale Blvd. south of Interstate 494. Follow Normandale to the stoplight at 84th street and turn left. If you are coming from the south, follow Normandale north to the stoplight at 84th and turn right. For directions to our Minnetonka service center, please press 6. Our Minnetonka service center is located at 14404 Excelsior Blvd. in the Glenhaven Square Mall near Driscoll's New Market store. The mall is at the intersection of Excelsior Blvd. and Woodhill Road in the Glen Lake area of Minnetonka. For directions to our Shakopee service center, please press 7. Our Shakopee service center is located at 1105 Shakopee Town Square. From downtown Shakopee, take Highway 101 south to 10tb Ave., and go left. The service center is located in the Shakopee Town Square Mall near the Marcus Theater. To speak to a representative, please press 0 (send to 4900) To repeat this menu, please press the star key To return to the previous menu, please press the pound key (send to Automated Services Menu) 03115101 10:16 AM ARU voice segments -Feb 2001.doc –