Council, Time Warner at odds
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

After months of complaints from residents, the Moorpark City Council on Wednesday took the first step toward recovering damages for Time Warner's noncompliance to a franchise agreement that was made with the city.

"The company was put on notice that it was out of compliance," said Hugh Riley, Assistant City Manager.

Time Warner Inc. representatives have 30 days to respond and resolve issues.

But if it all goes through to the end, the city can draw on a $25,000 letter of credit from Time Warner "because city officials are tired of it and they want action," he said.

Time Warner Inc. is the sole provider of cable TV in town. Since it acquired the Moorpark franchise from Adelphia and Comcast last year, the city has been receiving numerous customer questions, concerns and complaints.

The company hasn't lived up to its obligations to the city so the company should be held accountable, said Mayor Pro Tem Keith Millhouse.

Municipalities have little control over franchises now, but they can still regulate customer service and that's what local officials are after, he said.

In December, Councilmember Janice Parvin and Millhouse were appointed to serve on an ad hoc committee to meet with Time Warner representatives in an attempt to resolve customer service matters.

City leaders, at an earlier meeting, also asked for statistics, showing how quickly customers from Moorpark are served, but Time Warner Inc. representatives indicated the company could only provide regional data.

"The problem is no change is being made and we don't see any improvement," said Councilmember Janice Parvin, adding the company seemed arrogant or naive because it made huge acquisitions without proper preparation.

Although Time Warner representatives told the city that customer service will improve by April, it may actually take several months before it is brought up to appropriate standards, said John Brand, senior management analyst for the city.

This isn't just a Moorpark problem, said Simi Valley resident Ben Hall who came to the Moorpark meeting to express his discontent.

In addition to dropped calls and slow response to concerns, Time Warner Inc is also pushing analogue cable customers to purchase digital service, which requires costly equipment rental, Hall said.

Representatives from the cable provider did not speak during the meeting. Customer service has been an issue for the company since it merged with Comcast and acquired Adelphia. A recent Los Angeles Times report indicated that Roger Keating, head of Time Warner's regional office in the Los Angeles area, was ousted because of poor service.