Chairman Terry Lottes called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m. in the County Administration conference room in the Administration Center, located at 1300 Courthouse Road.

II. Roll Call.

The following members were present: Terry Lottes, Thomas Kimbrell, Alicia Knight, Danielle Davis and John Johnson. Tami Watkins with Comcast and Jaybo Johnson with Cox attended the meeting. Also present were Michele Lansford, Public Information Office, and Jason Hill, Department of Information Technology, representing the County.

III. Presentations by the Public

Mr. Wayne Souza, 275 Crown Manor Drive, asked when Comcast will connect existing fiber with homes in his neighborhood, which he said is partially wired for service. He also said pedestals have been installed.

Ms. Watkins said she has seen the subdivision on a construction list, but will have to call construction personnel to determine when service will be activated – she said she would call Mr. Souza with the information, and also provide the date for completion to the commission members.

Mr. Lottes said he talked with Rick Riley, Comcast, about bringing fiber to the node in his neighborhood in Hartwood. Mr. Riley said the project needed a capital expenditure approval. Ms. Watkins replied that capital is a concern. Also, bad weather causes construction delays.

Ms. Knight said that Ms. Schuler and Ms. Watkins do not respond to phone call or e-mails from commission members in a timely manner. Ms. Watkins said that certain key Comcast personnel receive hundreds of phone calls a day, and have to prioritize them. Ms. Knight said there needs to be a better system to respond to calls and complaints.

IV. Approval of Minutes

Mr. Johnson requested that the minutes of the February 2008 meeting be clarified to make it clear when they are referring to Mr. John Johnson (commission member) as opposed to Mr. Jaybo Johnson (Cox representative). Mr. Johnson moved to approve the February 28, 2008 minutes; Ms. Knight seconded the motion; the motion was approved unanimously.

V. Members’ Concerns

Ms. Knight asked Mr. Watkins whether she had responded to Mrs. Sue Richardson who was having problems accessing free movie and music channels. Ms. Watkins replied that three customer service representatives have tried to contact her, but have had to leave voicemail messages. She said the free movies are still available on the service tier Ms. Richardson has, and that Comcast staff will continue to try to talk with her.

The commission discussed information provided by the Stafford Finance Office that provided the amount of PEG fees the County has collected, and the need for a public access studio in the County. Ms. Lansford reported that the Finance Department is setting up a separate account into which the PEG fees will be deposited.

Mr. John Johnson asked Ms. Watkins what the Comcast Web site address is for customers to get prices for packages; she responded that it is www.comcast.com, where users can choose “shopping,” then “products,” and type in their area code.

Ms. Knight asked Ms. Watkins if Mr. Michael Fox’s billing problems had been resolved. She responded that they had, and that he has asked to be notified in advance of any rate changes.

VI. Agenda Additions

There were no additions to the agenda.

VII. New Business

Closed Meeting: At 7:45 p.m., Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mr. Kimbrell, to go into a Closed Meeting on the following item: Legal: To discuss negotiation of the Verizon franchise agreement.

Section 2.2-3711 A7
Code of Virginia

The voting tally was:
Yea: (5) Lottes, Kimbrell, Knight, Davis, Johnson

Call to Order. At 9:08 p.m., the Chair called the meeting back to order.

Closed Meeting Certification: Ms. Knight moved, seconded by Ms. Davis, to adopt proposed Resolution CM08-04.

The voting tally was:
Yea: (5) Lottes, Kimbrell, Knight, Davis, Johnson

Resolution CM08-04 reads as follows:

A RESOLUTION TO CERTIFY THE ACTIONS OF THE STAFFORD
COUNTY CABLE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION IN A
CLOSED MEETING ON MARCH 27, 2008

WHEREAS, the committee has, on this the 27th day of March, 2008, adjourned into a closed meeting in accordance with a formal vote of the commission and in accordance with provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, as it became effective July 1, 1989, provides for certification that such Closed Meeting was conducted in conformity with law;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Stafford County Cable and Telecommunications Commission does hereby certify, on this the 27th day of March, 2008, that to the best of each member’s knowledge: (1) only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under the Virginia Freedom Act were discussed in the Closed Meeting to which this certification applies; and (2) only such public business matters as were identified in the Motion by which the said Closed Meeting was convened were heard, discussed, or considered by the committee. No member dissents from the aforesaid certification.
The motion passed unanimously.

New Business Continued:
Define mission of the Telecommunications Commission

The commission discussed wireless broadband issues, and asked staff to set up a meeting with officials from King George County to talk about how that jurisdiction is offering this service to their citizens.

The commission also discussed setting up a public access studio, and Ms. Knight asked staff to obtain sample business plans for administering the studio.

VIII. Adjournment

At 9:25 p.m., Ms. Davis moved to adjourn the meeting; Ms. Knight seconded; the motion passed unanimously.