News » URGENT! - IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED

Last Friday, Cox Communications under the pseudonym “Innovate Tucson.org” used their private customer records to send out a mass email encouraging their customers to send the City of Tucson messages to influence the ongoing cable license negotiations. Unfortunately, it appears that several hundred customers cut and pasted the Cox message points - which were slanted or just plain untrue - and did email the City.

Do not let these be the only voices heard. Please take just a few minutes today to let the City know in your own words if you think the City should accept cable license terms and conditions proposed by Cox which do not meet the identified needs of our city.

Cox claims that “Your City cable taxes are too high and it is unfair that Cox customers in Tucson pay higher cable taxes than Comcast customers in Tucson.”

The truth of the matter is that there are no cable taxes at all. There are fees that support the use of the public right of ways and that help support the PEG (public, educational and government) channels. Both the City and Access Tucson have done statistically valid surveys that show that among both PEG viewers and non-viewers, well over a majority of cable subscribers feel these channels are important and are willing to pay for them. Currently, Cox subscribers have $1.35 of their monthly bill used to support PEG. Our survey shows the average customer would be willing for $1.70 of their bill to be used to support PEG. Cox just announced a rate increase. When is the last time they lowered your rates?

Cox claims that “The City of Tucson does not need four times as many local access channels (PEG channels) as any other city, town, or county in southern Arizona nor does it need twice as many as Phoenix.”

This is not even true. Tucson does not have four times the number of PEG channels. Tucson has nine PEG channels. Comcast serving Pima County has eight. Let’s get the facts straight. But the point is that in the City’s Community Needs Assessment, extensive research into the needs and desires of our town show that at least seven PEG channels are required to meet identified community needs. Why should our town be shortchanged just because Cox has been successful in eliminating PEG channels in Phoenix and Maricopa County cities? Cox was also successful in getting a state law passed that limits a City’s ability to negotiate for only two PEG channels that all customers can see and two channels that only digital customers can see.

Cox claims that “Cox customers in Tucson would rather have more high-definition channels and entertainment-on-demand than an excessive number of local access channels (PEG channels) that very few people watch.”

Both of the arguments made by Cox were totally refuted by the City’s needs assessment. When engineers examined the Cox system here they discovered that it is not the number of PEG channels that is constraining Cox in providing new services. They learned that Cox did not upgrade and improve their system to the standards of a modern cable system. They also learned that Cox themselves chose not to deploy services such as ON Demand (available in Pima County on Comcast) here in Tucson. Providing ON Demand service would have freed up enough bandwidth for lots of high definition channels.

In addition, it is not true that very few people watch PEG channels. Both the City and Access Tucson commissioned statistically valid viewer surveys that indicate a great deal of viewership. In fact, Cox’s own Nielsen studies show the viewership of Access Tucson is at times similar to that of some of the most popular cable channels like Fox Sports and about half that of channels such as USA and ESPN. It would be interesting to see how the PEG viewership compares to that of the many many home shopping channels and other niche channels, but Cox didn’t release that data.

Access Tucson does not want to see lengthy and protracted legal or other battles between Cox and the City. We want nothing more than for the parties to come back to the table and to strike a fair deal for both Cox and for our community. We understand that the City has asked for very little more than what Cox has offered. Surely there can be one more attempt to balance everyone’s needs and interests to find the right solution for Tucson. It would be unreasonable and show bad faith for Cox to walk away from the negotiations at this point as they have threatened to do if the City does not accept their current proposal which does not meet our community’s needs.

Thank you for taking the time to read this important message and if you think that the PEG channels and Access Tucson are worth preserving, then please take just a few more minutes and let the City know today how you feel. Be sure to indicate your name and address and send your message to:

Infotech@tucsonaz.gov

Thanks!

Access Tucson
“Where Tucson’s On TV”
(at least for now)