Conn. Dept. of Public Utility Control (DPUC) granted application ...

Jan. 19, DPUC left open possibility of competitive cable providers’ leasing network elements and colocating equipment within company’s facilities. Dept. said it lacked statutory authority to compel SPV to continue to provide competitive cable service. To make SPV’s exit from cable business nondisruptive and fair to customers, DPUC asked company to credit each subscriber $50 instead of $40 offered by company to defray charges to connect to new video provider and provide 2 separate notices to customers. It accepted company’s proposal to fund its community access providers for one additional year based on subscribership as of Aug. 11. Pointing out that forced transfer of SPV’s modified franchise agreement would raise level playing field concerns, DPUC deferred ruling on request by Conn. Broadband, subsidiary of Conn. Telephone & Communication Systems, that it order transfer of SPV’s network and its franchise to company (CD Sept 22 p8). Dept. said it made modifications in SPV’s franchise in 1999 to allow company to serve only in areas where it already provided service until it found viable alternative technology to HFC. Issues such as those will arise in any cable franchise, it said. Although federal and state law mandate that SNET’s telephone subsidiary make leased access available to competitive providers of voice and data services and not cable operators, DPUC urged company to lease facilities to cable providers either by tariff or by special arrangement “that would allow competitive provisioning of video services.