Minnetrista hopes for more cable access
The City of Minnetrista is hoping that a fresh round of negotiations between the Lake Minnetonka Cable Commission and cable provider Mediacom will give more of their residents broadband service.
The LMCC is in a new cycle of negotiations with Mediacom, and this is providing the opportunity for the less developed cities around Lake Minnetonka the chance for cable access in less dense areas. The previous agreement for cable coverage through the LMCC does not include areas with a population density lower than 30 homes per mile.
Council member Anne Hunt said that the goal is to increase the options residents of Minnetrista have for television and Internet.
“We’ve committed to providing a better service,” she said. “Just because you have access, doesn’t mean you have to subscribe.”
Many Minnetrista residents use Mediacom for cable service. According to a city survey, 61 percent of households in 2011 received Mediacom’s broadband service. The city council approved a resolution at their Oct. 1 meeting supporting a decrease in density requirements for cable.
The negotiations are in the beginning stages, and could take years before a new density number could provide more broadband service to Minnetrista. A lower density number will not affect developed cities such as Mound and Spring Park, but it will help less developed cities such as Minnetrista, Medina and Victoria. The negotiations likely won’t bring cable to every home in Minnetrista, but could get many more service.
Minnetrista officials are also looking at creating an ordinance that would require new developments to have cable ready lots. This would help ensure residents have cable as an option in their homes.
“Setting a local ordinance is a strategy we can use to improve service,” said Hunt.
City Administrator Mike Funk said without cable access residents are stuck with satellite.
“We are making sure people have options,” he said. “If you don’t have cable TV, your only other option is satellite.”
Funk also said that people using Mediacom help support the local economy. Residents who pay for satellite TV pay fees that go to national companies, but cable money stays local.
“Cable TV does provide more revenue for the LMCC,” he said. “PEG fees are paid whether you have cable or satellite.”
A PEG channel, which stands for public, educational and government access, represents public television that relies on income from fees for support.
