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SS/cable.pr Contact: Jane Lawton, 301-217-7372
COUNTY TO HOLD HEARING
ON PROPOSED TRANSFER OF
CABLE TV FRANCHISE For Immediate Release: Jan. 24, 1996
Montgomery County will hold a public hearing on the proposed transfer of
the County's cable television franchise, on Monday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in
the third floor hearing room of the Stella B. Werner Council Office Building,
100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville. Under the proposed transfer, the County's
current cable operator, SBC Media Ventures, Inc. -- a subsidiary of
Southwestern Bell -- would form a limited partnership with an ownership group
from Austin, Texas-based Prime Cable.
While Southwestern Bell would retain a 94.6 percent interest in the
operation, Prime Cable would assume the day-to-day management
responsibilities, under the proposed transfer agreement. Prime Cable is a
multiple system operator which currently serves approximately 625,000
subscribers in five markets: Chicago; Las Vegas; suburban Houston; Anchorage,
Alaska; and Hickory, North Carolina. The firm has designated Robert J.
Gordon, the current President of Cable TV Montgomery, as CEO of the new
partnership.
The County is in the process of reviewing all documents submitted by SBC
Media Ventures, Inc. -- the current franchise holder -- and will consider the
legal, financial, technical and character qualifications of the newly proposed
SBC Media Ventures, L.P. To ensure that the transfer will not adversely
affect local cable services, the County will also evaluate the new entity's
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COUNTY TO HOLD HEARING ON PROPOSED CABLE FRANCHISE TRANSFER 2-2-2
operational capabilities. In its transfer application, SBC Media Ventures,
Inc. noted that the transfer will not have any adverse effects on service and
that rates will not increase, as a result of the transfer. Rates will
continue to be governed by federal regulatory guidelines.
Copies of the transfer application and related public documents are
available for review in the reference section of the County's four regional
libraries (Wheaton, Rockville, Gaithersburg and Bethesda) and at the
Montgomery County Office of Consumer Affairs, 100 Maryland Avenue, Suite 330,
Rockville.
Persons who wish to testify at the February 26 public hearing are asked
to call the County's Office of Consumer Affairs at 217-2850. The building is
handicapped accessible and a sign language interpreter is available for
persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, provided five days advance notice is
given. Call 217-1297 or TTY/TDD 217-6505.
Written testimony may be submitted through Monday, March 4 at 5 p.m.
Comments should be mailed or delivered to: Hearing Officer, c/o Montgomery
County Office of Consumer Affairs, 100 Maryland Avenue, Third Floor,
Rockville, MD 20850.
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