THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 7, 1996 TAG: 9601110552
SECTION: REAL LIFE PAGE: K2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
THE PEOPLE in Waterford, Va., a tiny unincorporated community in northern Loudoun County, say they do not need or want cable television.
The community of 250 residents near the intersection of Virginia 665 and 698 has been around for 262 years. In a survey by a local cable company, Waterford said it was not interested in HBO or Showtime or Nickelodeon.
``The interest for cable was marginal at best,'' said Max Kipfer, general manager for Cablevision of Loudoun. ``At this time, it would not make economic sense to bring cable to Waterford.''
Waterford is the only place in Loudoun that doesn't have cable service.
The cable company agreed last month to mail a questionnaire to all Waterford households after some villagers objected to the plans to bring cable to the community. Opponents said cable lines hanging from utility poles would ruin the historic ambiance of the village, which was founded in 1733. Others said that having cable at home would prompt families to watch more television instead of socializing with neighbors.
Cable industry officials said they could not recall another case in which a community rejected cable television. About 63 percent of all households in the United States have cable.
``We talked about it in executive meetings, and everybody seemed surprised that this was happening. I don't know of any other place in the country that won't allow cable, and nobody else did, either,'' said an executive with Englewood, Colo.-based Tele-Communications Inc., the nation's largest cable operator with cable franchises in 48 states. ``Most communities are frustrated that they can't get cable.''
But Waterford is not most communities.
There are no traffic lights on Waterford's streets. Residents get their water from private wells, pick up their mail at the local post office, and identify their old houses by names rather than addresses.
Many of the town's 120 households refused to respond to the survey in protest. Of the approximately 40 households that did respond, half said they weren't interested in cable service.
``I didn't respond because I really don't much care for it,'' said Marie Anderson, who has lived in the 200-year-old ``Pink House'' for 28 years. ``There are much better things to do than watch television.''
Those who did support cable said they want better television reception.
``There are a lot of channels that I like that we can't get here,'' said Shirley Nickels, who has lived in Waterford since 1958. ``It would have been nice to have a choice.''
Cablevision of Loudoun agreed to conduct the survey even though Waterford doesn't have the legal authority to prevent cable from coming. The company said it wanted residents' cooperation in installing cable and would abide by the survey's results.
Longtime resident Joe Keating said he did not return the survey because it did not offer the option he favored.
``I wanted to check off the box that would have asked if Waterford residents would pay them not to put it up. I think a lot of people would have responded to that,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Map
JOHN CORBITT/The Virginian-Pilot
by CNB