HONOLULU — The state’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs on Monday approved the Spectrum Oceanic LLC Application for Renewal of Cable Franchise for the County of Kauai.
According to a release from the DCCA, the approval was executed in Decision and Order No. 386 that outlines the conditions and requirements for Spectrum’s continued use of public rights of way to deliver cable services to consumers on the Garden Island.
“Following a careful evaluation and thoughtful negotiations, DCCA has approved Spectrum’s renewal application that provides for enhanced services on Kauai,” said Nadine Ando, director of the DCCA. “We look forward to the expanded community benefits and access to high-definition cablecasting for public access channels.”
The decision comes after a comprehensive review process that included a public hearing and a public meeting in Lihue, where community members had the opportunity to provide comments and feedback on Spectrum’s renewal application. These comments and feedback were carefully considered by the DCCA, the release states.
The Decision and Order authorizes the continuation of Spectrum’s cable services and the development and improvement of Spectrum’s video and communication infrastructure throughout the county.
In return, Spectrum will endeavor to utilize the latest technology to offer a comprehensive array of programming, and to offer robust customer support services to the public.
Other notable provisions of the Decision and Order include:
• Hoike Kauai Community Media, Kauai’s public access organization, will be provided with the option to cablecast its content in high-definition, ensuring a better viewing experience for subscribers.
• Spectrum will provide a total of 2,000 public service announcements for use by the governor and lieutenant governor’s office, state legislature, county council, mayor, Department of Education, Hoike and the University of Hawaii so they may relay crucial information to the public.
• Spectrum will continue to provide dedicated institutional network connections for use by the county and state entities on Kauai, to ensure reliable avenues of communication and data transfer.
• Spectrum will continue its support of locally originated programming with a wide range of content, including local news, sports, cooking, pet care, healthy living and cultural education.
• Spectrum will continue its ongoing commitment to extend cable service to all feasible areas of the franchise areas while keeping abreast of the latest technological advances.
More information, including all relevant documents and related filings regarding Spectrum’s franchise renewal agreements, is available at http://cca.hawaii.gov/catv.
Spectrum has pending application for renewal of its cable franchises for the County of Maui. A public meeting is scheduled in December to provide the public an opportunity to submit comments on that application.
