1. Who
is my local cable provider and how do I
sign-up for service?
2. Whom do I call to report
a cable complaint?
3. What controls does the City
have over cable services?
4. Why have I lost some of my
cable channels and where have they moved?
5. What is the franchise fee
listed on my cable bill?
6. Does the City of Cypress broadcast
a local television channel?
7. What is PEG?
1. Who is my local
cable provider and how can I sign-up for service?
There is one cable service provider
in the City of Cypress, Time-Warner Communications. As of August
1, 2006, Time-Warner Communications is providing service to the
areas in Cypress previously covered by Comcast.
Time-Warner
Communications: 888-892-2253
www.timewarnercable.com/contact
2.
Whom do I call to report a cable complaint?
If you have a problem
with your cable service, please contact your
cable service provider. If your problem cannot
be resolved, please contact your Local Franchise
Authority, which is the City of Cypress, at 714-229-6697.
When you call the City, it is helpful for us
to have the complete details of the issue as
well as the name of the cable company's customer
service representative that helped you.
If you would like to make a complaint to the
City of Cypress online, you may complete the online
complaint form.
3. What controls
does the City have over cable services?
Federal and state
laws establish restrictions on what the City
is allowed to regulate in a franchise or negotiate
for in a franchise agreement. Here is an overview
of the restrictions:
What
the City of Cypress Can Do |
What
the City of Cypress Can't Do |
|---|---|
| Can require specific cable system capacity and functionality. | Cannot require a specific transmission technology. |
| Can require support of PEG access through facilities, equipment, and channels (spectrum). | Cannot specify which channels are or are not carried and cannot specify which channels are on which tier of service (other than PEG access). |
| Can establish customer service standards, including ones related to answering telephones calls, response to complaints, and imposition of late fees. Can require a local customer service office. | Cannot regulate rates (other than lowest cost tier of service). |
| Through an enabling ordinance can require a specific definition of gross revenues. | Cannot require franchise fees of more than 5 percent of gross revenues, as defined in the franchise agreement. |
| Can regulate the video portion of services offered. | Cannot regulate any voice (telephone) services (regulated by state Public Utilities Commission). |
| Must be willing to negotiate in good faith with additional cable companies. | Cannot specify engineering performance standards in those areas where FCC has preemptive authority. |
| Can require construction of an Institutional Network (I-Net) linking schools, libraries, and public buildings for voice, video and data communications. | Cannot grant an exclusive franchise. |
| For the public access channel, can require placement at a specific location. | Cannot regulate data services, including Internet services. |
| When a cable company does construction in public rights of way, can specify that it must do so in a manner that does not disrupt those rights of way unreasonably. Company must apply for and be issued all necessary construction and occupancy permits. | Cannot regulate any voice
(telephone) services. The City does not have any regulatory authority
over cable phone services. Those
services are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission
(CPUC). If
you are complaining about a utility or carrier, it is requested
that you try to resolve the complaint informally by contacting
the utility or carrier before registering your complaint with the
California Public Utilities Commission. If
you desire to file a complaint, you may contact the CPUC at the
following address:
Consumer Affairs Branch 505 Van Ness Ave. San Francisco, CA 94102-3298 Phone: 1-800-649-7570 or 1-415-703-1170 |
| Cannot regulate data services, including Internet services. In March 2002, the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, ruled that the State and local jurisdictions have no regulation authority over Cable Internet services. Cable Internet complaints must be handled by the specific carrier on an individual basis. |
4. Why have I
lost some of my cable channels and where have they moved?
Oftentimes, cable
service providers delete channels or change
certain channels or stations to different channel
numbers. This is usually the result of a Federal
Communications Commission regulation known
as "must carry." ("Must Carry" is
a 1992 Cable Act term requiring a cable system
to carry signals of both commercial and noncommercial
television broadcast stations that are "local" to
the area served by the cable system.)
When a local broadcast station elects to be
carried by your cable provider, regardless of what type of programming,
your cable provider must carry that station on the basic cable tier.
Because there are a limited amount of analog channels (channels which
appear on the basic cable tier; an "analog signal" is a
signaling method that uses continuous changes in the amplitude or
frequency of a radio transmission to convey information), existing
channels must be dropped or moved over to digital service.
Digital Television (DTV) is a new technology
for transmitting and receiving broadcast television signals. DTV
provides clearer resolution and improved sound quality.
5. What is the
franchise fee listed on my cable bill?
The City of Cypress
has a nonexclusive* franchise with local cable
providers. As the Local Franchise Authority,
the City determines and retains the franchise
fee. The provider pays the City a fee for use
of City right-of-ways and easements. Without
using City property, cable providers would
be unable to deliver cable signals.
*Non-exclusive: To prevent a monopoly, the
City is open to any other cable company who would like to do business
in Cypress. The City cannot force cable providers to offer services
in Cypress.
6. Does
the City of Cypress broadcast a local television channel?
Channel
36 is the official station of the City
of Cypress. You will find live broadcasts of
City Council Meetings on the second and fourth
Mondays of every month at 7:00 p.m. Televised
coverage also includes the Cypress Police Department's "Your
City, Your Town," and "Discover Cypress," a
guide to events and programs in the City. In
addition, the City features outside programming
in the areas of other cities, non-commercial
programming, national galleries, other federal
agencies, NASA, world news programs, county
agencies, arts, entertainment, and the environment.
7. What
is PEG?
This refers
to cable television channels reserved by
a cable agreement for use by Public, Education
and Government access services.