Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 23, 1993                   TAG: 9311230119
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE:    EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FINCASTLE                                LENGTH: Medium

FCC TO GET BOARD'S CABLE COMPLAINT/ BOTETOURT SUPERVISORS SAY COMPANY IS

The Board of Supervisors also voted to apply to the FCC to become a local cable-rate regulator.

County Administrator Jerry Burgess said Tele-Media Cable Television Systems seems to be trying to do a better job of serving the county. But he said county officials want to do everything they can to ensure that citizens get the best deal possible.

Tele-Media's "basic tier" service costs $25.94 a month. In comparison, basic cable rates for Cox Cable in Roanoke run from $21.37 to $23.04.

Botetourt County officials have harshly criticized Tele-Media over the past year. They say the company's service has been poor, and that it has violated its franchise contract with the county by failing to expand to subdivisions that want cable hookups.

Tele-Media executives could not be reached for comment Monday. They have said in the past that they are moving as quickly as they can to hook up more customers, but they have been slowed by problems getting business loans.

In recent months, Tele-Media executives have addressed a number of gatherings of angry residents. Supervisor Bill Loope said one meeting "got into such a state that there was a deputy called to keep order." If Tele-Media hasn't gotten the message before, Loope said, it has gotten it now.

He said Tele-Media is expanding its service area. It is scheduled to start hooking up customers this week in Orchard Hill subdivision, Loope said.

Burgess said the company has added another employee and another phone line in Botetourt to improve response to complaints.

The county also received a check from the company Monday for $22,567.64 to make up for underpayments in Tele-Media's franchise fee during the last two years. The underpayments were caused by an accounting mistake, the company said.

Board Chairman Robert Layman said the supervisors will keep pushing Tele-Media. He said the county is willing to go to court to ensure that the company lives up to the franchise agreement. The board maintains that the contract requires the company to extend service to areas that have at least 12 potential customers within a mile of an existing cable.

Layman cautioned, however, that getting FCC approval as a rate-regulator will give the county only limited powers. The county's authority would be limited to regulating "lifeline" service - channels 3 through 13 - and then only based on formulas set up by the federal government. "We'll be more a watchdog than anything," Layman said.

The rates on the company's "basic tier" service - which adds channels 17 through 34 to the 11 lifeline channels - can only be regulated directly by the FCC.