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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Packet - 4/16/2018Council Work Session April 16, 2018 Time indicated below Harold E. Getty Council Chambers Roll Call. Approval of Agenda, as proposed or amended. 4:25 p.m. Discussion of state franchise with Mediacom. Submitted By: Mayor Quentin Hart ADJOURNMENT Kelley F elchle City Clerk CITY OF WATERLOO Council Communication Discussion of state franchise with Mediacom. City Council Meeting: 4/16/2018 Prepared: 3/14/2018 REVIEWERS: Department Reviewer Action Date Clerk Office Felchle, Kelley Approved 3/14/2018 - 12:22 PM SUBJECT: Submitted by: Recommended Action: Summary Statement: Expenditure Required: Source of Funds: Policy Issue: Alternative: Background Information: Discussion of state franchise with Mediacom. Submitted By: Mayor Quentin Hart MEDIACOM DELIVERS 11 FASTER BROADBAND SPEEDS 11 BETTER VALUE FOR CONSUMERS GROWING NETWORK CAPACITY COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY Medii) THE POWER TO SIMPLIFY KEEPING UP WITH THE DEMAND FOR BROADBAND Mediacom customers quadrupled their bandwidth consumption between 2012 & 2015. To keep ahead of our customers' growing demand for broadband, Mediacom has been doubling it network capacity every 18 months, an industry norm. Mediacom has invested more than $1.4 billion over the past five years to expand its network capacity. PROVIDING CONSUMER VALUE As Mediacom broadband speeds continue to rise, consumers pay less for more. The value to consumers connected to Mediacom broadband gets better and better. Building upon its existing digital backbone and infrastructure, Mediacom is able to improve broadband speeds at significant customer savings. Customer Cost Decreases eMn n COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY n n - Privately -financed capital has been re -invested locally: • Add new technology • Hire more local network technicians • Train and educate technicians • Build out more miles of fiber to bring broadband service to more locations .RE�a POWERED BY MediBcom TRACKING MEDIACOM'S TOP INTERNET SPEEDS IN IOWA 15 Mbps AVAILABLE 2006 2007 TOP SPEEDS AVAILABLE DURING EACH YEAR 20 Mbps AVAILABLE 2009 2010 2014 2015 2017 Visit mediacomcable.com for more information. \G` Mediacomconnec THE POWER TO SIMPLIFY COMPETE A simple, affordable way to get quality home Internet. welasuessemmosi The internet is essential for successful learning and Mediacom wants to help families with K-12 students get connected. Mediacom Connect2Compete is offered as one of the ways our company works to close the "digital divide." We participate with "EveryoneOn," a national non-profit program. Our goal is to make home internet access simple and affordable so that students have a reliable connection to participate in a digital curriculum and extend the Learning experience from school to home. Mediacom makes this service available to eligible families in all areas where Mediacom's broadband network is present. YOUR HOUSEHOLD MAY QUALIFY IF: 1. Mediacom offers Internet service in your community or area 2. You have at least one student in grades K-12 living at home 3. At least one child qualifies for free or reduced -price school lunch through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) 4. You are not a current Mediacom Internet customer and have NOT subscribed to our internet service in the past 90 days 5. You do not have an outstanding Mediacom bill or unreturned equipment** Up to 10 Mbps No deposit No contract No installation fees 95* A MONTH Plus taxes and fees; includes wireless connection No equipment rental fees Wi-Fi modem via no -cost lease To learn more about the C2C programs, visit www.mediacomc2c.com or call 855-904-2225. * Offer is available in Mediacom residential areas to K-12 student families who have not subscribed to Mediacom Internet services within the prior 90 days, do not have an outstanding Mediacom balance or unreturned equipment and meet the eligibility criteria. Monthly price of $9.95/month (plus tax) is available so long as the eligibility criteria are met; if at any time customer no longer meets the eligibility criteria, the then -standard rates for Internet service and equipment shall apply. The service includes Internet service with download speeds up to 10 Mbps on a single outlet and one WiFi modem. Modem remains the property of Mediacom and must be returned upon termination of service to avoid charges. Mediacom Connect2Compete is a residential Internet service intended for educational use. Participants must conform to requirements of the Mediacom Online® Internet Access Service Customer and User Agreement and Mediacom's Acceptable Use Policy. It is not a school program, and is not endorsed or required by your school. Your school is not responsible for Connect2Compete accounts. No school funds were used for this notice or website. Call 1-855-904-2225 for more details or to visit with a Mediacom Connect2Compete representative. Offer, prices and eligibility criteria may change from time to time. **Families with an outstanding bill or unreturned equipment can discuss payment options with Mediacom customer support representatives to determine how a resolution can be met. Call 1-855-904-2225 for more details. Announced 1 Gbps deployments of CO S&P Global Market Intelligence Company A AT&T • Comcast Consolidated Communications * Cox Communications • Mediacom Communications Corp. + Others MA RI CT NJ DE MD Based on February 2018 survey of announced 1 Gbps offerings. Kagan, a media research group within the TMT offering of S&P Global Market Intelligence. ©2018 S&P Global Market Intelligence. All rights reserved. -Select Comcast locations estimated in the states of Colorado, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Utah, and Washington where Comcast has suggested its gigabit Internet tier(s) is available within its operating locations statewide. -Alt Mediacom locations estimated, given the operators announcement that its gigabit Internet tier was available in virtually all its footprint. -Select Cox Communications locations estimated in the states of Arizona and Rhode Island, where the operator has intimated its gigabit Internet tier is available in all its operating locations. Map credit: Ver Anthony Odevilas Mediacom February 9, 2018 TO: Ms. Nancy Newhoff, Editor; and Mr. Pat Kinney, News Editor FR: Corey Bowman Area Operations Director for Mediacom; Waterloo -Cedar Rapids — NE Iowa Response to WCF Courier / Guest opinion by Gene Yagla / Feb 4. Correcting the Record on City's Regulatory Role of Cable/Broadband Company As former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once famously said, "everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." In a guest opinion piece printed in the February 4 edition of the WCF Courier, Gene Yagla relied on his own facts to formulate his opinions about Mediacom and the City of Waterloo. Contrary to Mr. Yagla's statements, Mediacom has never been granted the exclusive right to provide cable service to Waterloo residents. State and federal law requires cable franchises to be non-exclusive, meaning any company holding a state or local franchise to serve Waterloo is free to build their own cable system. In 2013, Mediacom chose to convert its local franchise to a state -issued franchise certificate. As a result, the regulation of Mediacom moved from a local function to a state function. When Mr. Yagla accuses Waterloo of disbanding the Cable TV Commission and abdicating its role as overseer of Mediacom, he is simply mistaken about the role the City now plays in regulating local cable companies. In the past 24 months, Mediacom has invested well over $5 million of its own private capital for major improvements in our Waterloo facility and local network. Homes and businesses in the eight Black Hawk County communities we serve have had access to ultrafast 1 -Gig internet speeds for more than a year — speeds that are still years away from being deployed in most U.S. communities. To give customers more for their money, we continually invest in new technologies like better WiFi and a seamless way to stream video from any source to any screen using Xtream. We increased internet speeds or added faster speed tiers 11 times in the past 15 years. We've upgraded customer modems and gateways so that all components can handle our blazing -fast speeds. Using private capital, we recently built -out additional miles of fiber to reach 400 more homes in expanding neighborhoods of Waterloo, Hudson and Evansdale. We also extended fiber to make 1 -Gig speeds readily available to another 60 commercial properties in Waterloo and Cedar Falls. Our Waterloo customer center was the first, company -wide, to receive a complete make -over to better serve customers. Waterloo has been one of the top recipients of our company's investments — money that has stayed in Waterloo to make tangible improvements that people can see in our facilities and experience with our innovative products and industry-leading internet speeds. Mediacom For Immediate Release Mediacom Communications Private Broadband Infrastructure Investments Help Drive Iowa to #1 Overall State Ranking Leading 1 -Gig internet provider made Iowa first Gigabit State in January 2017 Des Moines, IA — February 28, 2018 — A little over a year after Mediacom Communications announced the company launched 1 Gig Internet service across its entire Iowa footprint, the Hawkeye State garnered the top ranking in the US. News Best States Overall Ranking powered by McKinsey & Company. In January 2017, Mediacom began offering ultra -fast 1 -Gig Internet to all of the nearly 1 million households and businesses in the more than 300 Iowa communities passed by the company's fiber -rich digital network. In announcing the statewide rollout of these next generation services, Mediacom's founder and CEO, Rocco B. Commisso, noted that as a result of the company's private investment, "Iowa is not only Mediacom's first gigabit state, but now leads all U.S. states in gigabit broadband availability." Thirteen months later, Commisso's statement rang true as the state's #1 ranking in the Infrastructure category propelled Iowa to the top of the U.S. News Best States rankings. Specifically, U.S. News found that more Iowa households have access to high-speed broadband internet of at least 1 gigabit per second than any other state in the country. "We are extremely proud that Iowa was recognized for leading the nation in access to ultra -fast broadband services," said Governor Kim Reynolds. "As the U.S. News rankings indicate, the fact that Mediacom was willing to invest private capital to make gigabit speeds available throughout its entire Iowa service area has truly made a difference in the quality of life in hundreds of communities across our state." About Mediacom Communications Mediacom Communications Corporation is the 5th largest cable operator in the U.S. serving almost 1.4 million customers in smaller markets primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. Mediacom offers a wide array of information, communications and entertainment services to households and businesses, including video, high-speed data, phone, and home security and automation. Through Mediacom Business, the company provides innovative broadband solutions to commercial and public sector customers of all sizes, and sells advertising and production services under the OnMedia brand. More information about Mediacom is available at www.mediacomcable.com. Contact: Tom Larsen SVP — Government & Public Relations 845-443-2754 tlarsen@mediacomcc.com Mediacom Communications Corporation 1 Mediacom Way • Mediacom Park, NY 10918 • 845-443-2600 • Fax 845-698-4100 Mediacom Business & Enterprise Services Mediacom Business uses its coast-to-coast fiber-optic network to deliver internet, phone and video services to businesses of all sizes. Customers benefit from 24/7/365 network monitoring and a fiber network that averages 99.9999% reliability. Mediacom uses the technology of Gigabit+ Fiber Solutions to deliver the astonishing speeds of 10 Gig and beyond. Enterprise customers such as schools, healthcare systems, government entities and other institutions choose Transparent LAN Service to seamlessly connect their point-to-point and multi -point Ethernet networks together in the same campus, city, region, or across multiple states. Use of Mediacom Business' fiber backbone allows multi -location operations to work off the same server, no matter where they are. Mediacom Business uses Ethernet protocol, so there is no need for additional equipment. Bandwidth can be allocated for different uses within the business itself, and bandwidth is scalable to keep pace with growth and changing needs. More than 75,000 small businesses use Mediacom Business for innovative broadband solutions adaptable to commercial businesses of all sizes. Business operators choose from a range of internet speeds -- from 10 Mbps to 1 -Gig; and gain the savings and simplicity of one provider that offers Business Phone, Managed Voice Solutions, Business TV & Music and web hosting. Advertising and production services are offered under the OnMedia brand. Residential services — Mediacom leads the nation in delivery of 1 -Gigabit broadband speeds to residential areas in more small cities and towns than any other Internet Service Provider (ISP); this includes Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and neighboring Cedar Valley communities. Residential services available through a Mediacom connection: • Broadband — internet service with download speeds of up to 60, 100, 200, 500 Mbps; or speeds of up to 1 -Gigabit -per -second (1 -Gig). • Xtream — an all -in -one, integrated platform where TV and Internet work together to deliver entertainment and programs from any source -- access to web apps right on the TV screen (no Smart TV required); record shows; watch shows anywhere / anytime. • In-home WiFi — integrated with Xtream, Mediacom's advanced WiFi router delivers speeds of up to 200 Mbps, and even up to 1 -Gig. • Digital television (cable TV) -- with all-digital lineup; 100+ channels in HD; options to choose premium movie channels or other specialty sets, or a slimmed down line-up of "TV essentials." • Phone service — unlimited local and long-distance calling that includes numerous calling features (caller ID appears on TV screen). • Home security and automation — customized options for security and smart home automation that homeowners can control and monitor in real time from anywhere. About Mediacom Communications Mediacom Communications Corporation is the 5th largest cable operator in the U.S. serving almost 1.4 million customers in smaller markets primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. In Iowa, Mediacom's network passes one million homes and advanced services, including 1 -Gig internet speeds, are available to residents and businesses in 309 Iowa communities. More information about Mediacom is available at www.mediacomcable.com. NEWTON DAILY NEWS `Turtle speed to light speed' PCM fiber-optic internet to install one more extension By Mike Mendenhall News Editor mmendenhall@monroelegacy.com April 4, 2018 MONROE — When PCM schools remodels the school district bus barn to add administrative offices later this year, it will also be closing the books on another long-term project. Mediacom, Inc. will lay the last of a network of fiber-optic internet lines from the high school to the admin offices, completing a high-speed internet infrastructure upgrade PCM has been undertaking since 2016. As work finished on new "Link" building between Prairie City Elementary and PCM Middle School this winter, district technology director Sean Balzer said contractors laid fiber-optic lines between those two schools, largely completing the multi-year internet infrastructure project. When Balzer first took over as the district's technology director five years ago, PCM High School was getting 50 megabytes per second (mbps) internet speeds and the Prairie City schools were getting less. In non -tech terms, that's really slow internet for a school district's needs. Prairie City's speeds were so low because the internet connection was broadcast via antenna from the high school in Monroe all the way to Prairie City. Similar to a radio signal, the farther broadcast internet travels, the weaker it is. So the first step was to buy higher speeds from the district's former internet provider the Iowa Communications Network, or ICN. That bumped the high school to 100 mbps, but Balzer said it didn't do much for the Prairie City campus. "That was literally to try to push more signal through the internet antenna we had. But the problem is our antenna were 10 miles apart. It did improve, but not much," Balzer said. "The distance was degrading the signal so much it didn't matter." The first proposal was for PCM to run their own fiber line from Monroe to Prairie City and contract out the construction. The price would have been nearly $400,000 — out of the district's budget. So in 2017, the PCM school board accepted Balzer's proposal to partner with Mediacom to connect Prairie City and Monroe via its own private fiber pathway, tapping into a bigger fiber- optic line that runs between Newton and Des Moines. The $16,500 internet infrastructure project done by Mediacom was discounted by 60 percent through the state government's E -rate program — a financial incentive for Iowa schools to upgrade their technology. With its monthly service payment and the E -rate discount, PCM will only spend $49,200 in the first five years of its high-speed internet program. This is $820 per month and includes the work Mediacom did to lay the fiber lines. After the work is paid off in five years, PCM's bill will drop. PCM now gets a consistent 450 mbps speed at all of its school buildings. Balzer said this has improved website load times and document upload and download speeds for students and teachers. Web -based curriculum, textbooks and lessons are also more responsive. It also brings PCM's internet capabilities on par with urban school districts. The old internet antennas have been removed during the district renovation project. "Originally, I wanted the towers to stay and use as a 20 mbps backup through ICN. But with the antennas going down there's no point. So we'll be pulling ICN in the future to save money," Balzer said. Balzer said there is another plus to Mediacom. If the district needs a temporary boost in speed, he can order it and drop it back down at will. "If we have a special event where we're going to have a massive amount of people here, I can say 'can you boost me to 600 mbps for the weekend?' And they'll do it," Balzer said. Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@monroelegacy.com Copyright © 2018 Newton Daily News. All rights reserved. Mediacom Business' speed upgrade disrupts CenturyLink, Frontier's small business hold Mar 21, 2018 1:30•m Mediacom Business automatically upgrades SMB customers to higher broadband tiers. (Mediacom) Having completed a Targe -scale rollout of fiber in its business services footprint and a consumer DOCSIS 3.1 build, Mediacom is turning up new speeds for small businesses to surpass lower -speed copper services offered by incumbent telcos CenturyLink and Frontier. Beginning in April, Mediacom Business will upgrade existing Mediacom Business customers in the 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps and 50 Mbps tiers of service to new 60 Mbps, 100 Mbps and 300 Mbps tiers, respectively. What's more, customers won't have to pay anything more for the higher speeds. These speed upgrades are part of a broader initiative to improve its consumer and business -grade networks. In 2016, Mediacom launched a three-year, $1 billion capital investment plan to upgrade and enhance the capacity of its fiber network. Over the course of 2017, Mediacom deployed DOCSIS 3.1 -based 1 Gbps Internet across its national footprint, bringing ultrafast broadband to nearly all of the 3 million homes and businesses across the company's 22state footprint. Dan Templin, SVP of Mediacom Business, told FierceTelecom that the speed upgrades for the SMB customer base is part of a broader evolution for the cable MSO. Dan Templin "We've built out tens of thousands of fiber miles into business locations we did not have before and this announcement is a logical progression," Templin said. "We built that piece out and we now have a converged network with fiber plant, DOCSIS 3.1 plant, customers with 10 and 40 Gbps, but this is an opportunity to say that regardless of the type of capacity customers need we have a network that's fully deployed." The SMB sector is ripe for these new upgrades because companies in its cable footprint have had no options besides purchasing lower -speed DSL or TDM -based circuits from local telcos like CenturyLink and Frontier. For the most part, Mediacom Businesses' HFC speed drive is mainly focused on small businesses that have no more than 20 employees or remote offices of larger companies that don't need a fiber -based connection. "We have acknowledged that these businesses we're serving—and these is not enterprise class customers—but rather the midsized and truly small sized SMBs with 10 to 20 employee businesses that have been running on 10, 15 and 20 Mbps connections," Templin said. "We are the new market entrant and embody a disruptive alternative, but many of our SMB customers were not familiar with higher speeds and what they could do to take advantage of these newer connections." Focus on SLAs, driving value Like other large business providers, Mediacom Business has customers that have offices in multiple territories. Given this diversity, one customer could be using fiber - based connections at one site and a DOCSIS 3.1 HFC platform at another. What this means is that speeds are only one part of the equation for Mediacom's business push. Mediacom Business is applying the same quality mentality it delivers higher class Ethernet and optical services for large businesses by offering service level agreements SLAs on these new speed services for SMB customers. Templin said what's becoming more relevant to businesses is not just the underlying technology, but ensuring the cable operator can deliver consistent services. "The customer mentality is less about saying I need fiber versus I need copper because a DOCSIS 3.1 connection is hardly twisted pair copper," Templin said. "It's becoming a performance based issue and adhering to SLAs. Clients want to know they have that extraordinary broadband connection and it has to work and we do that similarly in terms of SLAs whether it's on the DOCSIS 3.1 platform or on the fiber platform." In the near-term Mediacom knows there's not a lot of applications that need 1 Gbps, but the awareness of 1 Gbps and other higher available speeds means that business customers have comfort to take advantage of new cloud applications or expand their own facilities. Mediacom can enable businesses to do more and launch more applications in markets where telcos only offer DSL like speeds, creating a so-called Halo Effect. Even if a customer does not want to migrate right away to 1 Gbps, they will have several bandwidth options that may have not been available before. "We have thousands of small businesses on net, but now they can get full access to up to 1 Gbps internet connectivity," Templin said. "This really empowers them to really think outside of the box for anything they can do with it." Templin said that Mediacom Business can offer an array of fiber and HFC -based solutions or a combination of both according to a customer's specific needs. "We have either technology that a customer wants," Templin said. "If a customer wants one or the other, we can deliver it. Our network is now widely deployed and we can deliver the network performance that these businesses are demanding." Health care, incubators remain ripe targets While other segments will likely follow as they become aware of Mediacom's new speed tiers, the service provider is seeing initial potential for the regional health care offices and business incubators. On the health care front, Mediacom Business has seen great success in selling fiber - based services like Ethernet and optical services to regional health care providers, but the cable MSO sees an opportunity to serve single office practices with its new set of higher speeds. "We've done well with our fiber connections to Midwest and Southeast with regional hospitals, but what we're seeing now with our DOCSIS 3.1 is it's enabling small primary care providers," Templin said. "These three or four doctor practices can now use these types of connections to get access to the same technology on the medical side that before you had to go to a regional provider." Another segment that's ripe for these upgrades is the incubator community. The University of Missouri has several incubator projects run by students, for example. Mediacom Business provides connectivity for that university's incubator program. Run out of its , the center provides a wide range of services, including facilities, mentoring, access to university research facilities and financing possibilities. "What we are doing and what they can do is create some of these new applications and new ideas that you could not previously contemplate," Templin said. "It's pretty heady times when you see a new business or application start up and they can point to how the broadband connections provided the fuel." This article was updated on March 21 with additional information from Mediacom Business. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/mediacom-business-speed-upgrade-disrupts- centurylink-frontier-s-small-business-hold Mediacom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Mediacom Communications Earns "Best Company" Honors as Employer for Women and People of Color Waterloo, IA — January 19, 2018 -- Mediacom Communications earned high rankings within the cable and telecommunications industry as one of the top companies for women to work, and as a top employer for people of color. Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) named Mediacom as a "2017 Best Company for Women to Work," based on survey data collected to measure gender -inclusion practices and the status of women employees in the cable industry. The survey's three main criteria assess pay equity, advancement opportunities and resources for work -life integration. Mediacom will be recognized as among the 'Best Companies for Women to work" during an industry event to be held in New York City in April. Following a separate assessment of workforce diversity, Mediacom was also named a 2017 Top Company for People of Color. Employment data compiled by the National Association for Multi - Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) recognize Mediacom for achieving a high level of diversity. The survey captured workforce demographics, diversity practices, non-traditional employee benefits, and other indicators. "The high survey scores and accolades announced by these two organizations demonstrate that at Mediacom, diversity and inclusiveness are priorities we put into practice at every level," said Director of Area Operations, Corey Bowman. "From broadband specialists at the front lines, to the executive offices and everywhere in between, we understand that a diverse workforce is necessary to be an innovative technology company in a rapidly changing world." About Mediacom Communications Mediacom Communications Corporation is the 5th largest cable operator in the U.S. serving almost 1.4 million customers in smaller markets primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. Mediacom offers a wide array of information, communications and entertainment services to households and businesses, including video, high-speed data, phone, and home security and automation. Through Mediacom Business, the company provides innovative broadband solutions to commercial and public sector customers of all sizes, and sells advertising and production services under the OnMedia brand. More information about Mediacom is available at www.mediacomcable.com. Contact: Emily In Public Relations Coordinator, Mediacom 515-697-6690 einmediacomcc.com