Five Town Cable Committee Meets Tonight in Lenox

The Five Town Cable Advisory Committee, serving Lee, Lenox, Stockbridge, Great Barrington and Sheffield will hold its quarterly meeting tonight at 6:30 at Lenox Town Hall, 6 Walker Street. Commitee Chair Linda Miller has told the Berkshire Eagle that Spectrum officials will be in attendance, which the company has confirmed. Miller says Spectrum must be represented at the quarterly meetings, as required by the five towns' cable license agreement with the cable provider.

Just last week, Spectrum dropped Boston's WCVB from its Berkshire lineup. Local customers are still smarting over the company's 2017 move to cut Springfield's WWLP.  Miller said those decisions are among several issues on tonight's meeting agenda. These meetings are open to the public, and Miller urges subscribers to keep the pressure on Spectrum and federal lawmakers for overall better cable television service. She plans to emphasize tonight that people contact Massachusetts' U.S. Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren.

At it's heart, the concept of cable TV markets and coverage areas is a federal issue. Senator Markey announced last week that he plans to file federal legislation which would shift the Berkshires from the Albany, N.Y.-designated market area to the Springfield market. If approved, Springfield/Boston network affiliates would have priority over ones in the Albany area that Spectrum says they are currently required to carry in Pittsfield, North Adams and 14 towns, per Federal Communications Commission regulations.