TOWN OF SEEKONK, MASSACHUSETTS CABLE TELEVISION SURVEY. January, 2010

Transcription

1 TOWN OF SEEKONK, MASSACHUSETTS CABLE TELEVISION SURVEY ` January, 2010

2 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS DARTMOUTH CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS The is a multidisciplinary research unit that promotes economic, social, and political development by providing research and technical assistance to client organizations. The Center for Policy Analysis offers custom designed research and technical analysis in the areas of economic development, public management, program evaluation, and public opinion for government agencies, non-profit organizations, private businesses, and educational institutions. The does not pursue a predetermined research agenda, but is a flexible research organization responding on a timely basis to the problems and issues identified by client agencies. Clyde W. Barrow, Ph.D., Political Science Director EXECUTIVE BOARD Philip Melanson, Ph.D., Political Science Chairman of the Board & Senior Research Associate David Borges, M.P.A., Public Administration Chris Eisenhart, Ph.D., English William Hogan, Ph.D., Economics Senior Research Associate Senior Research Associate Senior Research Associate Toby Huff, Ph.D., Sociology Susan Krumholz, J.D., Ph.D., Sociology Spencer Ladd, Ph.D., M.F.A., Design Senior Research Associate Senior Research Associate Senior Research Associate Jeffrey Robinson, M.P.A., Public Administration Robin A. Robinson, Ph.D., Social Welfare Gail Russell, M.S., Ed.D., Nursing Senior Research Associate Senior Research Associate Senior Research Associate Shawna E. Sweeney, Ph.D., Political Science Paul Vigeant, M.A., Public Administration Luther Wallin, M.R.P., Regional Planning Senior Research Associate Adjunct Research Associate Senior Research Associate EXECUTIVE STAFF David Borges, M.P.A., Public Administration Senior Research Associate Nina Galipeau, B.A., Sociology Research Associate Andrea Davis, Sociology Assistant to the Director ADJUNCT RESEARCH ASSOCIATES Jeffrey Robinson, M.P.A., Public Administration UMass Dartmouth Controller Paul Vigeant, M.A., Public Administration SouthCoast Development Partnership Correspondence and inquiries should be addressed to:,, 285 Old Westport Road, rth Dartmouth, Massachusetts (telephone: ; fax: ). Copyright. All rights reserved. This document may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the. Authors: David R. Borges and Clyde W. Barrow Website URL: The information and analysis in this report does not represent an official statement or view of the University of Massachusetts. Polling and Program Evaluation Research Series. 87

3 Table of Contents Executive Summary... iii 1.00 Introduction Methodology and Survey Tabulation Survey Instrument Sampling Procedures Survey Administration Telephone Interviewer Training and Supervision Analysis of Results Results Satisfaction with Comcast Services/Practices and Subscriber Contact with Comcast Overall Satisfaction with Comcast Cable Television Satisfaction with Comcast Services and Practices Subscriber Contact with Comcast Cable Competition and Availability of Comcast Cable Cable Competition Availability of Comcast Cable to All Residents Cost of Cable Services and Amount Willing to Pay for Additional Cable Channels Cost of Cable Services Amount Willing to Pay for Additional Cable Channels Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) Access Programming Community Programming that Respondents and their Families Would Like to See on PEG Access Television Town Meetings Coverage Educational Access Programming from the Seekonk High School and Middle School Value of PEG Access Programming Improved and Expanded PEG Access Programming in Seekonk High Definition (HDTV) Capability of PEG Access Programming Over the Next Ten Years Video on Demand and Electronic Program Guide Familiarity with Comcast s Video on Demand and Availability for PEG Programming Electronic Program Guide A-la-Carte Programming Emergency Messages, Customer Service Office & I-Net i

4 3.71 Emergency Messages Customer Service Office I-Net Personal Subscriber Information Importance of Protecting Personal Subscriber Information Willingness to Accept Personal Inconvenience to Protect Subscriber Information Appendix A Survey Instrument...26 Appendix B Data Tables...39 ii

5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Cable television service for residents of Seekonk, Massachusetts is provided by Comcast, Inc. Comcast s existing cable television license to provide cable television in Seekonk expires in June, The results of this telephone survey will assist the Town of Seekonk to determine how the community feels about the cable services that Comcast provides in Seekonk. The results will be considered as the Town: (i) requests services and funding to be provided by Comcast; and (ii) reviews Comcast s application for a cable television license renewal. A total of 473 telephone interviews were conducted with Seekonk households from January 12, 2010 through January 16, 2010 using a survey instrument developed by the Town of Seekonk and the. Over eighty-five percent of these households (85.4%) (N=405) subscribe to Comcast cable, while 9.6 percent subscribe to satellite service, 3.6 percent receive over-the-air signals only and 1.4 percent do not watch TV. Overall Satisfaction with Comcast Cable Television Respondents were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with Comcast cable television on a scale of very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, somewhat satisfied and very dissatisfied. Over a quarter of respondents (25.9%) are very satisfied with Comcast cable television, while 42.5 percent of respondents are somewhat satisfied, 14.3 percent are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 11.2 percent are somewhat dissatisfied and 6.1 percent are very dissatisfied. Satisfaction with Comcast Services/Practices Respondents were asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with various Comcast services and practices. Respondents on average rate all service and practices higher than a 3 on the 1 to 5 scale. Respondents are most satisfied with the quality of the signal reception (4.1 average), followed by: reliability of the converter box (3.9 average), clarity of billing (3.8 average), quality of customer support personnel (3.8 average), response time of service technicians/repairs (3.8 average), response time on billing inquiries/complaints (3.6 average), time to reach a customer service representative by telephone ( 3.5 average) and, consistency of the sound level (3.4 average). Cable Competition At the present time, Comcast is the only company providing cable television services to Seekonk residents. Respondents were asked if they would like to see other companies provide cable television services in Seekonk, competing with Comcast. More than eighty-one percent of respondents (81.6%) would like to see other companies provide cable television services in Seekonk, while 12.3 percent of respondents would not like to see other companies provide cable television services and 6.1 percent do not know. iii

6 Availability of Comcast Cable to All Residents Comcast cable television is not available to all Seekonk households. Respondents were asked if they believe that the cable operator should be required to offer cable service to every residence in Seekonk regardless of where their home is located and regardless of the density of the area. Over seventynine percent of respondents (79.1%) believe that the cable operator should be required to offer cable service to every residence in Seekonk, while 12.4 percent of respondents do not believe that the cable operator should be required to offer cable service to every residence and 8.5 percent do not know. Subscriber Contact with Comcast Subscribers were asked to report the number of times they have called Comcast in the past twelve months to resolve various problems such as loss of signal, problems with cable equipment, poor reception and billing problems. Nearly seventy-one percent (70.7%) of Comcast subscribers called customer service to resolve at least one problem in the past year. The highest percentage of respondents called for loss of service/signal (54.8%), followed by: problems with cable equipment (36.3%) poor reception (26.4%) billing problems (25.9%), and other complaints (12.8%). The highest annual average number of times that respondents called was for billing problems (3.9 calls annually), followed by: loss of service/signal (3.0 calls annually), poor reception (3.1 calls annually), problems with cable equipment (2.5 calls annually), and other complaints (1.6 calls annually). Cost of Cable Services Respondents were asked if they are paying too much, just the right amount, or too little for the cable services that they currently purchase from Comcast. More than eighty-one percent of respondents (81.9%) believe they are paying too much for their cable service, while 16.0 percent of respondents believe they are paying just the right amount and 2.1 percent of respondents believe they are paying too little for their cable service. Amount Willing to Pay for Additional Cable Channels Respondents were asked the amount they would be willing to pay monthly for each additional music, comedy, news, sports and shopping channel. Respondents are not amenable to paying more for these types of channels, particularly music channels (95.5% would not pay more). In addition, 92.0 percent of respondents would not pay more for comedy channels, 90.1 percent would not pay more for news channels, 88.3 percent would not pay more for sports channels and 82.6 percent would not pay more for shopping channels. iv

7 Public, Educational and Government (PEG) Access Programming Public, Educational and Government (PEG) Access Programming in Seekonk includes local Board of Selectmen and other government meetings, community events, including festivals, parades, Seekonk forums and other public programming, and school events including athletic events, performing arts, concerts and graduations. Respondents were asked several questions about PEG access programming in Seekonk, including respondents who are not Comcast subscribers. Over twenty-seven percent of respondents (27.2%) highly value PEG programming, while 54.3 percent of respondents somewhat value PEG programming and 18.5 percent do not value PEG programming. Sixty-one percent of respondents (61.0%) would like to see improved PEG programming in Seekonk, while 23.4 percent of respondents would not like to see improved PEG programming and 15.6 percent do not know. Over three-quarters of respondents (75.5%) believe that Educational Access programming, including school sports, theater, arts, music, and graduations from the Seekonk High School and Middle School, should be cablecast, while 16.9 percent of respondents would not like this type of programming to be cablecast and 7.6 percent of respondents do not know. Forty-eight percent of respondents (48.0%) agree that PEG Access stations should have HDTV capability over the next 10 years, while 37.4 percent of respondents do not agree and 14.5 percent do not know. Respondents were provided a list of seventeen types of community programming and asked which types they and their family would like to see on Seekonk PEG access television. The highest percentage of respondents would like to see Seekonk Votes (68.6%), Public Safety Reports (68.6%) and Seekonk Community Discussions (60.5%). In addition, a majority of respondents indicate that they would like to see Seekonk Going Green (56.4%), Seekonk Seniors (55.1%), Seekonk Youth Sports (54.3%), Seekonk Special Events (53.8%), Seekonk Food Channel (53.2%), Seekonk Home and Gardening (52.2%), Seekonk Arts (51.5%), Recreation Report (50.8%), Seekonk History (50.5%) and Local Small Business Spotlight (50.2%). Town Meetings Coverage Respondents were asked if they would like to see various town meetings cablecast. A majority of respondents would like to see each of the town meetings cablecast: Annual and Special Town meetings (77.9%) Board of Selectmen meetings (77.5%) Finance Committee meetings (71.7%) School Committee meetings (68.0%) Planning Board meetings (67.4%) Zoning Board of Appeals meetings (63.2%) Conservation Commission meetings (61.0%) v

8 Video on Demand and Availability for PEG Programming Video on Demand (VOD) offers programs that are available any time customers want to watch them, with the ability to fast forward, rewind and pause selections. Nearly eighty percent of respondents (79.1%) are familiar with Comcast s Video on Demand, while 18.9 percent of respondents are not familiar with this service. Respondents were asked if they would like PEG programming, including government meetings, to be available as Video on Demand so that they can watch the programming at their convenience. Nearly sixty percent of respondents (59.9%) indicate they would like PEG programming to be available as Video on Demand, while 34.2 percent of respondents would not like PEG programming to be available as VOD and 5.9 percent do not know. Electronic Program Guide The Electronic Program Guide enables customers to find a show on any channel, set favorite channels, use parental controls to block specific channels or individual programs, and to record any television show with a digital video recorder. More than seventy-seven percent of respondents (77.8%) are familiar with Comcast s Electronic Program Guide, while 22.2 percent are not familiar with this service. Respondents were asked if they would like to have the PEG access program schedule included as part of Comcast s Electronic Program Guide. More than seventy-two percent of respondents (72.5%) would like the PEG program schedule to be included as part of the Electronic Program Guide, while 21.4 percent of respondents would not like the PEG program schedule to be included as part of the Guide and 6.1 percent of respondents do not know. Programming Offered on an A-La-Carte Basis Respondents were asked if they would like the opportunity to buy cable channels from Comcast a-lacarte, that is, subscribers would only pay for the channels they choose to purchase. More than seventy-seven percent of respondents (77.4%) indicate that they would like to buy cable channels a-la-carte, while 14.6 percent of respondents would not like the opportunity to buy channels a-la-carte and 8.0 percent of respondents do not know. The average number of channels to which respondents would subscribe if they had the opportunity to buy channels a-la-carte is 21 channels. Emergency Messages for Cable Subscribers Respondents were asked if the cable operator should continue to provide emergency officials of the Town of Seekonk, including the Town s Emergency Management Director (the Fire Chief), with the ability to override the programming of the cable system with important emergency messages for Seekonk cable subscribers. More than ninety-four percent of respondents (94.2%) agree that the cable operator should provide emergency officials with the ability to override programming, while 3.6 percent of respondents do not agree and 2.3 percent do not know. vi

9 Customer Service Office Comcast currently operates and staffs a full-time customer service office in the City of Attleboro, just under ten (10) miles from the Seekonk Town Hall. Comcast also operates a customer service office in the Town of Somerset, a little further than ten (10) miles from the Seekonk Town Hall. At the customer service offices, cable subscribers can pick-up or return equipment and pay bills. Respondents were read four statements regarding the location of the customer service office and asked with which statement they most agree. Nearly forty percent of respondents (39.7%) believe the customer service office should be located in Seekonk, while 30.5 percent believe that the customer service office should be located no further than where currently located, 18.2 percent do not believe there is a need for a customer service office serving Seekonk subscribers and 11.6 percent believe there should be a customer service office but they are not concerned where it is located. I-Net Comcast provides an Institutional Network ( I-Net ) which returns PEG access programming originating at a number of public buildings in the Town to a central location in Seekonk, from which it is then forwarded on PEG access channels to cable subscribers. The I-Net also connects public buildings in the Town of Seekonk, including the Seekonk Public Schools, allowing internal communications at a cost savings to the Town. Respondents were asked if they would like to see continued use of the I-Net by the Town for audio, video and data purposes. Seventy-eight percent of respondents (78.0%) would like to see continued use of the I-Net, while 8.8 percent of respondents would not like to see continued use of the I- Net and 13.2 percent do not know. Personal Subscriber Information Respondents were asked to rate the importance of the protection of personal subscriber information by the cable provider on a scale of very important, somewhat important, or not important. Nearly eighty-six percent of respondents (85.8%) believe that protecting the privacy of personal subscriber information is very important, followed by 11.2 percent of respondents who believe that protecting privacy is somewhat important, 2.7 percent who believe that protecting privacy is not important and 0.3 percent of respondents who do not know. In addition, respondents were asked if they are willing to accept personal inconvenience, such as the need to opt into a particular database, to assist the cable operator in the protection of their personal subscriber information. More than eighty-four percent of respondents (84.2%) are willing to accept personal inconvenience to assist the cable operator in the protection of their personal subscriber information, while 11.9 percent of respondents are not willing to accept personal inconvenience and 3.9 percent do not know. vii

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11 1.00 INTRODUCTION Cable television service for residents of Seekonk, Massachusetts is provided by Comcast, Inc. Comcast s existing cable television license to provide cable television in Seekonk expires in June, The results of this random sample telephone survey will assist the Town of Seekonk to determine how the community feels about the cable services that Comcast provides in Seekonk. The results will be considered as the Town: (i) requests services and funding to be provided by Comcast; and (ii) reviews Comcast s application for a cable television license renewal METHODOLOGY AND SURVEY TABULATION A total of 473 telephone interviews were conducted with Seekonk households from January 12, 2010 through January 16, Over eighty-five percent of these respondents (N=405) subscribe to Comcast cable television, which provides a margin of error of +/-4.5 percent for the complete set of data and a margin of error of +/-4.8 percent for the subscriber data. 1 Interviews were conducted between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm on weekdays and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday. This range of hours provides the interviewers with an opportunity to contact hard to reach respondents, a procedure crucial to producing high quality survey data. Return calls were scheduled at the convenience of the respondents. Respondents were called a minimum of five times before they were determined to be unreachable. The Center s senior staff continually monitored the progress of interview outcomes to prevent problem cases that could interfere with the integrity of survey procedures. The survey procedures used by the adhere to the highest quality academic and government research standards Survey Instrument The telephone survey was conducted using a survey instrument developed by the Town of Seekonk and the. A copy of the survey instrument can be found in Appendix A Sampling Procedures The uses the Genesys Sampling System from Marketing Systems Group to generate random telephone numbers. The system uses a list of all possible telephone numbers in the United States to randomly generate a telephone sample for a designated geographic area. The survey was conducted using a random digit dialing (RDD) sample. The RDD sample ensures an equal and known probability of selection for every residential telephone number in the sample frame. 1 The number of respondents for some questions is lower, thus the margin of error is higher in those instances. 1

12 2.30 Survey Administration The uses Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing, or CATI, to conduct telephone surveys. Specifically, the uses WinCATI software from Sawtooth Technologies, which is one of the oldest and most widely used CATI systems in the world. Using WinCATI, telephone interviewers conduct interviews via computers, which provides highly reliable data because the computer controls the questionnaire, skip patterns are executed exactly as intended, responses are within range, and there are no missing data Telephone Interviewer Training and Supervision Student research assistants and Center staff were employed as telephone interviewers. These interviewers have conducted numerous telephone polls on behalf of the Center and all have been trained intensively, including practice interviews. Senior-level staff at the monitored the interviewers at all times to ensure high quality data collection Analysis of Results Basic frequencies were tabulated for each survey question (see Appendix B). The sample was weighted to account for sampling bias. Sampling bias is defined as the tendency of a sample to exclude some members of the sampling universe and over-represent others. In this sample, females and older respondents are over-represented. Weighting the data allocates more weight to groups that are underrepresented (e.g. younger males), while providing less weight to groups that are over-represented (e.g. older females). In other words, weighting adjusts the sample so that it looks more like the actual population of Seekonk as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. All data in this report have been weighted to adjust for sex and age, although the difference between the weighted and unweighted samples for each question are generally between 1 to 3 percent. 2

13 3.00 RESULTS A total of 473 telephone interviews were conducted with Seekonk households. Over eighty-five percent of these households (85.4%) (N=405) subscribe to Comcast cable, while 9.6 percent subscribe to satellite service (e.g. Dish Network, DirectTV), 3.6 percent receive over-the-air signals only and 1.4 percent do not watch TV (see Figure 1). Figure 1 Service to Which Respondent Subscribes 100.0% 85.4% 75.0% 50.0% 25.0% 0.0% 9.6% 3.6% Comcast Satellite Over the Air Signals Only 1.4% Does t Watch TV Fifty-seven percent of respondents who do not subscribe to Comcast cable report they are former subscribers. The year in which these respondents last subscribed to Comcast are included in Table 1. Table 1 In Approximately What Year Did You Last Have Comcast Cable? Year Number Percent % % % % % % % % % % % % 3

14 3.10 Satisfaction with Comcast Services/Practices and Subscriber Contact with Comcast 3.11 Overall Satisfaction with Comcast Cable Television Respondents were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with Comcast cable television on a scale of very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, somewhat satisfied and very dissatisfied. Over a quarter of respondents (25.9%) report they are very satisfied with Comcast cable television, while 42.5 percent of respondents are somewhat satisfied, 14.3 percent are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 11.2 percent are somewhat dissatisfied and 6.1 percent are very dissatisfied (see Table 2 and Figure 2). Table 2 How Would You Rate Your Overall Satisfaction with Comcast Cable Television? Number Percent Very Satisfied % Somewhat Satisfied % Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied % Somewhat Dissatisfied % Very Dissatisfied % Figure 2 How Would You Rate Your Overall Satisfaction with Comcast Cable Television? 50.0% 40.0% 42.5% 30.0% 25.9% 20.0% 10.0% 14.3% 11.2% 6.1% 0.0% Very Satisfied Somewhat Satisfied Neither Satisfied r Dissatisfied Somewhat Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied 4

15 3.12 Satisfaction with Comcast Services and Practices Respondents were asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with various Comcast services and practices on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning poor and 5 meaning excellent. Respondents on average rate all service and practices higher than a 3 on the 1 to 5 scale. Respondents are most satisfied with the quality of the signal reception (4.1 average), followed by the reliability of the converter box (3.9 average), the clarity of billing (3.8 average), the quality of customer support personnel (3.8 average), the response time of service technicians/repairs (3.8 average), the response time on billing inquiries/complaints (3.6 average), the time to reach a customer service representative by telephone ( 3.5 average) and the consistency of the sound level (3.4 average) (see Figure 3). Figure 3 Satisfaction with Cable TV Services Average on a Scale of 1 to 5 Quality of picture/signal reception Reliability of converter box Clarity of billing Quality of customer support personnel Response time of service technicians/repairs Response time on billing inquiries/complaints Time to reach a Comcast customer service representative by phone Consistency of sound level Poor Excellent 5

16 3.13 Subscriber Contact with Comcast Subscribers were asked to indicate the number of times they have called Comcast in the past twelve months to resolve various problems such as loss of signal, problems with cable equipment, poor reception and billing problems. Nearly seventy-one percent (70.7%) of Comcast subscribers called customer service to resolve at least one problem in the past year. The highest percentage of respondents called for loss of service/signal (54.8%), followed by problems with cable equipment (36.3%), poor reception (26.4%), billing problems (25.9%) and other complaints (12.8%). 2 The highest annual average number of times called was for billing problems (3.9 calls annually), followed by loss of service/signal (3.0 calls annually), poor reception (3.1 calls annually), problems with cable equipment (2.5 calls annually) and other complaints (1.6 calls annually) (see Table 3 and Figure 4). Table 3 Subscriber Contact with Comcast Percent Who Called in Last 12 Months Avg. # Times Called in Last 12 Months 3 Issue Loss of Service/Signal 54.8% 3.0 Problems with Cable Equipment 36.3% 2.5 Poor Reception 26.4% 3.1 Billing Problems 25.9% 3.9 Other Complaints 12.8% 1.6 te: Table sorted by percent who called in the last 12 months. Figure 4 Subscriber Contact with Comcast Percent 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 54.8% % % 25.9% % Average 0.0% Loss of Service/Signal Problems with Poor Reception Billing Problems Other Complaints Cable Equipment 0.0 % Who Called Avg. # Times Called 2 Other issues include Internet issues (N=16), loss of phone service (N=5), complaints about price (N=5), removal of channels (N=4), DVR issues, installation problems, questions about new equipment and problems with renting a movie. 3 Averages calculated from respondents who called for each complaint and do not include respondents who did not call. 6

17 3.20 Cable Competition and Availability of Comcast Cable 3.21 Cable Competition At the present time, Comcast is the only company providing cable television services to Seekonk residents. Respondents were asked if they would like to see other companies provide cable television services in Seekonk, competing with Comcast. More than eighty-one percent of respondents (81.6%) would like to see other companies provide cable television services in Seekonk, while 12.3 percent of respondents would not like to see other companies provide cable television services and 6.1 percent do not know (see Table 4 and Figure 5). Table 4 Would You Like to See Another Company Provide Cable Television Services in Seekonk, Competing with Comcast? Number Percent % % Don t Know % Figure 5 Would You Like to See Another Company Provide Cable Television Services in Seekonk, Competing with Comcast? 81.6% 12.3% 6.1% 7

18 3.22 Availability of Comcast Cable to All Residents Comcast cable television is not available to all Seekonk households. Respondents were asked if they believe the cable operator should be required to offer cable service to every residence in Seekonk regardless of where their home is located and regardless of the density of the area. Over seventy-nine percent of respondents (79.1%) believe that the cable operator should be required to offer cable service to every residence in Seekonk, while 12.4 percent of respondents do not believe that cable operator should be required to offer cable service to every residence and 8.5 percent do not know (see Table 5 and Figure 6). Table 5 Do You Think That the Cable Operator Comcast Should Be Required to Offer Cable Service to Every Residence in Seekonk Regardless of Where Their Home is Located and Regardless of the Density of the Area? Number Percent % % Don t Know % Figure % Do You Think That the Cable Operator Comcast Should Be Required to Offer Cable Service to Every Residence in Seekonk Regardless of Where Their Home is Located and Regardless of the Density of the Area? 12.4% 8.5% 8

19 3.30 Cost of Cable Services and Amount Willing to Pay for Additional Cable Channels 3.31 Cost of Cable Services Respondents were asked if they are paying too much, just the right amount, or too little for the cable services they currently purchase from Comcast. More than eighty-one percent of respondents (81.9%) feel they are paying too much for their cable service, while 16.0 percent of respondents feel they are paying just the right amount and 2.1 percent of respondents feel they are paying too little for their cable service (see Table 6 and Figure 7). Table 6 Are You Paying Too Much, Just the Right Amount, or Too Little for the Cable Services You Currently Purchase from Comcast? Number Percent Too Much % Just the Right Amount % Too Little 9 2.1% Figure 7 Are You Paying Too Much, Just the Right Amount, or Too Little for the Cable Services You Currently Purchase from Comcast? Too Much 81.9% Just the Right Amount 16.0% Too Little 2.1% 9

20 3.32 Amount Willing to Pay for Additional Cable Channels Respondents were asked the amount they would be willing to pay monthly for each additional cable channel, including music, comedy, news, sports and shopping channels. Respondents are not amenable to paying more for these types of channels, particularly music channels (95.5% would not pay more). In addition, 92.0 percent of respondents would not pay more for comedy channels, 90.1 percent would not pay more for news channels, 88.3 percent would not pay more for sports channels and 82.6 percent would not pay more for shopping channels (see Table 7 and Figure 8). thing at all Table 7 How Much Extra Would You Be Willing to Pay Each Month for Each Additional Channel? Up to $.10 $.11 to $.25 $.26 to $.50 $.51 to.75 $.76 to $1.00 > $1.00 Music 95.5% 2.5% 0.3% 1.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.5% Comedy 92.0% 4.6% 1.3% 0.5% 0.0% 0.2% 1.4% News 90.1% 5.0% 1.6% 0.5% 0.0% 0.9% 1.9% Sports 88.3% 4.3% 2.5% 2.1% 0.2% 1.4% 1.1% Shopping 82.6% 7.6% 2.9% 0.8% 0.2% 3.2% 2.7% Figure 8 How Much Extra Would You Be Willing to Pay Each Month for Each Additional Channel? Music 95.5% Comedy 92.0% News 90.1% Sports 88.3% Shopping 82.6% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% nothing at all Up to $.10 $.11 to $.25 $.26 to $.50 $.51 to.75 $.76 to $1.00 $.76 to $1.00 > $

21 3.40 Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) Access Programming Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) access programming in Seekonk includes local Board of Selectmen and other government meetings, community events, including festivals, parades, Seekonk forums and other public programming, and school events including athletic events, performing arts, concerts and graduations. Respondents were asked several questions about PEG access programming in Seekonk, including respondents who are not Comcast subscribers Community Programming that Respondents and their Families Would Like to See on PEG Access Television Respondents were provided a list of seventeen types of community programming and asked which types they and their family would like to see on Seekonk PEG access television. The highest percentage of respondents would like to see Seekonk Votes (68.6%), Public Safety Reports (68.6%) and Seekonk Community Discussions (60.5%) (Figure 9). Figure 9 What Types of PEG Access Programming Would You and Your Family Like to See in Seekonk? Seekonk Votes Public Safety Reports Seekonk Community Discussions Seekonk Going Green Seekonk Seniors Seekonk Youth Sports Seekonk Special Events Seekonk Food Channel Seekonk Home & Gardening Seekonk Arts Recreation Report Seekonk History Local Small Business Spotlight Seekonk Youth Children's Activities at the Library Area-Wide Theater Programs Seekonk Near the Water 68.6% 66.4% 60.5% 56.4% 55.1% 54.3% 53.8% 53.2% 52.2% 51.5% 50.8% 50.5% 50.3% 45.7% 44.7% 43.5% 39.8% 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0% 11

22 Other suggestions for community programming that were provided by respondents include: Portuguese entertainment (N=3) Animal care (N=2) Home improvement (N=2) School events (N=2) Animal shelter program Community events Educational programming Health-related issues Library events Local church services Local education Local news Local Sports Music and big bands News Pro-life program Religious programs Re-run Selectmen meetings Seekonk Audubon Society Traffic 12

23 3.42 Town Meetings Coverage Respondents were asked if they and their family would like to see various town meetings cablecast. A minimum of 61.0 percent of respondents report they would like to see each of the choices provided. Specifically, 78.0 percent of respondents would like to see Annual and Special Town meetings cablecast, followed by Board of Selectmen meetings (77.5%), Finance Committee meetings (71.7%), School Committee meetings (68.0%), Planning Board meetings (67.4%), Zoning Board of Appeals meetings (63.2%) and Conservation Commission meetings (61.0%) (see Table 8 and Figure 10). Table 8 Do You Believe the Following Town Meetings Should be Cablecast? Number Percent Annual and Special Town % Board of Selectmen % Finance Committee % School Committee % Planning Board % Zoning Board of Appeals % Conservation Commission % Figure 10 Do You Believe the Following Town Meetings Should be Cablecast? Annual and Special Town 78.0% Board of Selectmen 77.5% Finance Committee 71.7% School Committee 68.0% Planning Board 67.4% Zoning Board of Appeals 63.2% Conservation Commission 61.0% 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0% 13

24 3.43 Educational Access Programming from the Seekonk High School and Middle School Respondents were asked whether Educational Access programming, including school sports, theater, arts, music, and graduations from the Seekonk High School and Middle School should be cablecast. Over three-quarters of respondents (75.5%) believe that Educational Access programming should be cablecast, while 16.9 percent of respondents do not think this type of programming should be cablecast and 7.6 percent of respondents do not know (see Table 9 and Figure 11). Table 9 Do You Believe that Educational Access Programming, Including School Sports, Theater, Arts, Music, and Graduations From The Seekonk High School and Middle School Should Be Cablecast? Number Percent % % Don t Know % 75.5% Figure 11 Do You Believe that Educational Access Programming, Including School Sports, Theater, Arts, Music, and Graduations from Seekonk High School and the Middle School Should be Cablecast? 16.9% 7.6% 14

25 3.44 Value of PEG Access Programming Respondents were asked how much they value having access to PEG access programming, including programming such as Board of Selectmen and School Committee Meetings, Town Meetings, other government meetings, community events, public access programming, and school events including athletic events, performing arts and concerts, and graduations. Over twenty-seven percent of respondents (27.2%) highly value PEG programming, while 54.3 percent of respondents somewhat value PEG programming and 18.5 percent do not value PEG programming (see Table 10 and Figure 12). Table 10 How Much Do You Value PEG Access Programming? Number Percent Highly Value % Somewhat Value % Do t Value % Figure 12 How Much Do You Value Having Access to Public, Educational and Government Access Programming? Somewhat Value 54.3% Highly Value 27.2% Do t Value 18.5% 15

26 3.45 Improved and Expanded PEG Access Programming in Seekonk Respondents were asked if they believe that PEG access programming should be improved and expanded in Seekonk. Sixty-one percent of respondents (61.0%) believe that PEG programming should be improved and expanded, while 23.4 percent of respondents do not believe PEG access programming should be improved and expanded and 15.6 percent do not know (see Table 11 and Figure 13). Table 11 Do You Believe that Public, Educational and Government Access Programming Should Be Improved and Expanded in Seekonk? Number Percent % % Don t Know % Figure % Do You Believe that Public, Educational and Government Access Programming Should Be Improved and Expanded in Seekonk? 23.4% 15.6% 16

27 3.46 High Definition (HDTV) Capability of PEG Access Programming Over the Next Ten Years Respondents were asked if Public, Education, and Government access stations should have HDTV (high definition) capability over the next ten years. Forty-eight percent of respondents (48.0%) agree that PEG Access stations should have HDTV capability, while 37.4 percent of respondents do not agree and 14.5 percent do not know (see Table 12 and Figure 14). Table 12 Do You Believe that the PEG Access Channels Should Have High Definition (HDTV) Capability Over the Next Ten Years? Number Percent % % Don t Know % Figure 14 Do You Believe that the PEG Access Channels Should Have High Definition (HDTV) Capability Over the Next Ten Years? 48.0% 37.4% 14.5% 17

28 3.50 Video on Demand and Electronic Program Guide 3.51 Familiarity with Comcast s Video on Demand and Availability for PEG Programming Video on Demand (VOD) offers programs that are available any time customers want to watch them, with the ability to fast forward, rewind and pause selections. Nearly eighty percent of respondents (79.1%) are familiar with Comcast s Video on Demand, while 18.9 percent of respondents are not familiar with this service (see Table 13). Respondents were asked if they would like PEG programming, including government meetings, to be available as Video on Demand so that they can watch the programming at their convenience. 4 Nearly sixty percent of respondents (59.9%) indicate they would like PEG programming to be available as Video on Demand, while 34.2 percent of respondents would not like PEG programming to be available as VOD and 5.9 percent do not know (see Table 13 and Figure 15). A higher percentage of respondents who are familiar with VOD would like PEG programming to be available as VOD in comparison to respondents who are not familiar with VOD. Table 13 Comcast Video on Demand Familiar with VOD? PEG Available as VOD? % 59.9% 18.9% 34.2% Do t Know N/A 5.9% Figure 15 Do You Believe that PEG Access Programming, Including Government Meetings, Should be Available as Video On Demand So that You Can Watch the Programming at Your Convenience? 34.2% 59.9% 5.9% 4 This question was asked to all subscribers regardless of whether or not they were familiar with Video on Demand. Interviewers explained Video on Demand to respondents who were not familiar with this service before asking the question. 18

29 3.52 Electronic Program Guide The Program Guide enables customers to find a show on any channel, set favorite channels, use parental controls to block specific channels or individual programs and to record any television show with a digital video recorder. More than seventy-seven percent of respondents (77.8%) are familiar with Comcast s Electronic Program Guide, while 22.2 percent are not familiar with this service (see Table 14). Respondents were asked if they would like to have the PEG access program schedule included as part of Comcast s Electronic Program Guide. More than seventy-two percent of respondents (72.5%) would like the PEG program schedule to be included as part of the Electronic Program Guide, while 21.4 percent of respondents would not like the PEG program schedule to be included as part of the Guide and 6.1 percent of respondents do not know (see Table 14 and Figure 16). Table 14 Electronic Program Guide Should PEG Familiar with Guide? Schedule Be Included? % 72.5% 22.2% 21.4% Don t Know N/A 6.1% Figure 16 Do You Believe that the PEG Access Program Schedule Should Be Included as Part of the Electronic Program Guide in Order to Know when this Programming is Going to Cablecast? 21.4% 72.5% 6.1% 5 This question was asked to all subscribers regardless of whether or not they were familiar with the Electronic Program Guide. Interviewers explained the Electronic Program Guide to respondents who were not familiar with this service before asking the question. 19

30 3.60 A-la-Carte Programming Respondents were asked if they would like the opportunity to buy cable channels from Comcast a-la-carte, that is, subscribers would only pay for the channels they choose to purchase. More than seventy-seven percent of respondents (77.4%) indicate that they would like to buy cable channels a-lacarte, while 14.6 percent of respondents would not like the opportunity to buy channels a-la-carte and 8.0 percent of respondents do not know (see Table 15 and Figure 17). The average number of channels to which respondents would subscribe if they had the opportunity to buy channels a-la-carte is 21 channels. Table 15 Would You Like to See Cable Programming Offered to Seekonk Subscribers on an A-la-Carte Basis? Number Percent % % Don t Know % Figure 17 Would You Like to See Cable Programming Offered to Seekonk Subscribers on an A-la-Carte Basis? 77.4% 14.6% 8.0% 20

31 3.70 Emergency Messages, Customer Service Office & I-Net 3.71 Emergency Messages Respondents were asked if the cable operator should provide emergency officials of the Town of Seekonk, including the Town s Emergency Management Director (the Fire Chief), with the ability to override the programming on all cable channels with important emergency messages for Seekonk residents. More than ninety-four percent of respondents (94.2%) agree that the cable operator should provide emergency officials with the ability to override programming, while 3.6 percent of respondents do not agree and 2.3 percent do not know (see Table 16 and Figure 18). Table 16 Ability to Override Programming For Important Emergency Messages? Number Percent % % Don t Know % Figure 18 Ability to Override Programming for Important Emergency Messages? 94.1% 3.6% 2.3% 21

32 3.82 Customer Service Office Comcast currently operates and staffs a full-time customer service office in the City of Attleboro, just under ten (10) miles from the Seekonk Town Hall. Comcast also operates a customer service office in the Town of Somerset, a little further than ten (10) miles from the Seekonk Town Hall. At the customer service offices, cable subscribers can pick-up or return equipment and pay bills. Respondents were read four statements regarding the location of the customer service office and asked with which statement they most agree. Nearly forty percent of respondents (39.7%) believe the customer service office should be located in Seekonk, while 30.5 percent believe that the customer service office should be located no further than where currently located, 18.2 percent do not believe there is a need for a customer service office serving Seekonk subscribers and 11.6 percent believe there should be a customer service office but they are not concerned where it is located (see Table 17 and Figure 19). Table 17 Which of the Following Statements Do You Most Agree With Regarding the Customer Service Office? The customer service office should be located in Seekonk The customer service office should be located no further than where currently located I do not believe there is a need for a customer service office serving Seekonk subscribers Number Percent % % % There should be a customer service office, but I am not concerned where it is located % Figure 19 Which of the Following Statements Do You Most Agree With Regarding the Customer Service Office? 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 39.7% 30.5% 20.0% 10.0% 11.6% 18.2% 0.0% The customer service office should be located in Seekonk The customer service office should be located no further than where currently located There should be a customer service office, but I am not concerned where it is located I do not believe there is a need for a customer service office serving seekonk subscribers 22

33 3.83 I-Net Seekonk, Comcast provides an Institutional Network ( I-Net ) which returns PEG access programming originating at a number of public buildings in the Town to a central location in Seekonk, from which it is then forwarded on PEG access channels to cable subscribers. The I-Net also connects public buildings in the Town of Seekonk, including the Seekonk Public Schools, allowing internal communications at a cost savings to the Town. Respondents were asked if they would like to see continued use of the I-Net by the Town for audio, video and data purposes. Seventy-eight percent of respondents (78.0%) would like to see continued use of the I-Net, while 8.8 percent of respondents would not like to see continued use of the I- Net and 13.2 percent do not know (see Table 18 and Figure 20). Table 18 Do You Believe that Comcast Should be Required to Continue Providing the I-Net and Its Services to the Town? Number Percent % % Don t Know % Figure 20 Do You Believe that Comcast Should be Required to Continue Providing the I-Net and Its Services to the Town?, 78.0%, 8.8%, 13.2% 23

34 3.90 Personal Subscriber Information 3.91 Importance of Protecting Personal Subscriber Information Respondents were asked to rate the importance of the protection of personal subscriber information by the cable provider on a scale of very important, somewhat important, or not important. Nearly eighty-six percent of respondents (85.8%) believe that protecting the privacy of personal subscriber information is very important, followed by 11.2 percent of respondents who believe that protecting privacy is somewhat important, 2.7 percent who believe that protecting privacy is not important and 0.3 percent of respondents who do not know (see Table 19 and Figure 21). Table 19 How Important is it that the Cable Operator Protects the Privacy of Personal Subscriber Information? Number Percent Very Important % Somewhat Important % t Important % Don t Know 1 0.3% Figure 21 How Important is it that the Cable Operator Protects the Privacy of Personal Subscriber Information? 100.0% 85.8% 75.0% 50.0% 25.0% 0.0% Very Important 11.2% Somewhat Important 2.7% t Important 0.3% 24

35 3.92 Willingness to Accept Personal Inconvenience to Protect Subscriber Information Respondents were asked if they are willing to accept personal inconvenience, such as the need to opt into a particular database, to assist the cable operator in the protection of their personal subscriber information. For example, the cable operator would have to be specifically authorized by a subscriber before they are allowed to share the subscriber s name and contact information with a third party. More than eighty-four percent of respondents (84.2%) are willing to accept personal inconvenience to assist the cable operator in the protection of their personal subscriber information, while 11.9 percent of respondents are not willing to accept personal inconvenience and 3.9 percent do not know (see Table 20 and Figure 22). Table 20 Are You Willing to Accept Personal Inconvenience to Assist the Cable Operator in The Protection of Your Personal Subscriber Information? Number Percent % % Don t Know % Figure 22 Are You Willing to Accept Personal Inconvenience to Assist the Cable Operator in the Protection of Your Personal Subscriber Information?, 84.2%,, 11.9% 3.9% 25

36 APPENDIX A SURVEY INSTRUMENT [INTRO1] Hi, my name is and I'm calling from UMass Dartmouth on behalf of the Town of Seekonk. How are you today? We are conducting a survey regarding cable television service in Seekonk. Q1. Are you a resident of Seekonk? <resident> 1 YES [SKIP TO INTRO 2] 2 NO [INTERVIEWER READ: SORRY, BUT WE ARE ONLY INTERVIEWING SEEKONK RESIDENTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME] DISPOSITION CODE = NOT A RESIDENT [INTRO 2] Comcast's license to provide cable television service to the Town of Seekonk expires in June, The results of this survey will help the Town of Seekonk to determine how the community feels about the cable services that Comcast provides in Seekonk. The results will be considered as the Town: (i) requests services and funding to be provided by Comcast; and (ii) reviews Comcast s application for a cable television license renewal. Section 626 of the Cable Act requires that a cable operator s proposal be reasonable to meet the future cable-related community needs and interests, taking into account the cost of meeting such needs and interests. Q2. Do you have a few minutes to complete the survey? <complete> 1 YES [SKIP TO Q4] 2 NO [SKIP TO Q3] Q3. Your opinions on these issues are very important and we d like to give you an opportunity to make your opinions heard. Are you sure you do not have time to complete the survey? <complet2> 1 RESPONDENT WILL NOT PARTICIPATE [END INTERVIEW] 2 RESPONDENT WILL PARTICIPATE [SKIP TO Q4] Q4. Thank you. First I would like to ask you if you are 18 years of age? <eight> 1 YES [SKIP TO Q6] 2 NO [SKIP TO Q5] Q5. Is there someone 18 years of age or older that I can speak to? <eight2> 1 YES [SKIP TO INTRO] 2 NO [INTERVIEWER READ: SORRY, BUT WE NEED TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE WHO IS T LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE. WE WILL CALL BACK AT ANOTHER TIME.] [END INTERVIEW] 26