SHARON

City council reverses decision, approves 10-year cable contract

After a lengthy discussion Thursday, Sharon city council members reversed themselves and granted a 10-year exclusive cable franchise agreement to Adelphia Cable.

Council members Raymond Fabian, Lou Rotunno and Chris Outrakis voted against the contract in May saying they didn’t think the company was providing enough services and the contract was too long.

Tony McClusky and Steve Hervatine from Adelphia, formerly Century Cable, were at the city council meeting Thursday to answer questions about the contract.

Mrs. Outrakis requested the motion back on the agenda, and this time she voted in favor of the contract. Rotunno and Fabian still voted no. Mrs. Outrakis said she thought a lot about the contract and decided accepting it was the best thing to do.

Mayor Robert T. Price said if the city would have continued to reject the contract, Adelphia would file a suit with the Federal Communications Commission, and the city would have to hire a lawyer at a retainer of anywhere between $15,000 to $25,000. He said there would also be a $500 an hour lawyer fee for litigation. This is on top of the $83,000 the city would lose by not passing the contract.

Rotunno criticized the company for not offering enough channels and disagreed with the company’s three-year time frame for updating the cable system.

Hervatine said they anticipate nearly 100 channels in place -- though under the contract they are only obligated to increase the number of channels from 37 to 55 -- before the end of the three years. He added if Adelphia does not uphold the contract it will be void for the remaining seven years.

The time is needed to upgrade the system because it currently does not have the capacity to carry more channels, Hervatine said. He said since Adelphia took control Oct. 1 they have added ESPN 2, replaced a home shopping channel with the History Channel and made the Disney Channel part of basic cable instead of a premium channel.

Fabian said he has received calls and letters of support from people commending the council members who voted against the contract for their "courage." He said many people are dissatisfied with the company.

Councilman George Gulla said he thinks things are moving in the right direction.

Sharon had been the lone holdout among the 11 municipalities that negotiate cable contracts through the Mercer County Regional Council of Governments.