Charter Communications

Final arguments have been filed in a second legal battle between Glendale and Charter Communications, which is alleging that the city is illegally using company-owned fiber optic strands and laundering access fees for purposes that violate state law. In closing arguments, filed in briefs with the court last week, Charter contends that it never agreed to allow the city to use the fiber optics at no charge, even after its local franchise obligation to...

On Tuesday afternoon an estimated 35,000 Charter Communications customers' television sets went blank for a little over six hours. Close to 85 percent of Charter Communications customers that include Glendale, Montrose, La Crescenta and a small portion of La Cañada were affected by the outage. "It was a software problem," said Craig Watson, vice president for Charter Communications, western division. The outage actually only affected those televisions hooked up to a digital box; any sets that were hooked directly to cable in a wall socket continued to operate, Watson said.

For the past few months, I have come to see that Charter Communications is a dangerous monopoly in Glendale. I must begin by saying that I currently have a lawsuit against Charter Communications, and my statements are definitely biased. However, I am also a subscriber to both their local cable and their Internet connection. Except for satellite, which does not have the local cable channels, Charter has a monopoly in town and there is nothing we can do about their power.

This letter is in response to Joe Camicia's (Charter's public relations representative) letter regarding wire service plan for customers. As always the case with Charter Communications, it addresses the good it sometimes does, as opposed to the bad and the ugly, which seems to occur more often than not. Many months ago, before the News-Press and City Council became involved in questioning the wire charge, I noticed the 95 cent charge on my bill an called Charter Communications to inquire about it. I ascertained it was not mandatory to be charged for this service so I immediately had them cancel it. The point I want to make here is that Charter Communications never articulated on their bill or insert that this charge would be forthcoming.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- The addition of a network and changed programming formats have shifted channel numbers and caused lineup changes for Charter Communications customers in Glendale. Because KXLA-TV Channel 28 has been added to the Broadcast Basic service of residential and commercial customers in the city, three other channels have done some shifting. C-SPAN is now on channel 95, QVC has moved to Channel 96, and C-SPAN2 is now broadcasting on Channel 25 from midnight to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

2When Vrej Agajanian sent a letter to members of the Glendale City Council back in March, offering four proposals to accommodate the Armenian Society of Los Angeles' headquarters with the incoming Town Center, he never expected the firestorm that followed. The city accepted Agajanian's fourth proposal, in which the city bought the ASLA's headquarters on Brand Boulevard for $5 million, and gave the society land on Louise Street to build a new headquarters.

FRANCHISE NEGOTIATIONS CONSULTANTS WHAT HAPPENED The City Council agreed to hire five consultant firms to conduct due diligence for the city's franchise renewal with Charter Communications. WHAT IT MEANS The city's franchise agreement with Charter Communications, which allows the cable company to operate in the city, expires Jan. 1, 2005. The city is negotiating a new agreement with the company, and these consultant groups will hold focus groups and surveys and conduct audits and reviews.

Alex Coolman GLENDALE -- Two men who lost their bids for City Council, Hamo Rostamian and Tony Tartaglia, will be the guests on this week's episode of the "Larry Zarian Forum." Both Rostamian and Tartaglia were the subject of criticism in columns and on the Community Forum page of the News-Press. Zarian and the candidates will discuss the possible effects of this coverage on the election outcome and its effects on the candidates themselves. The show airs from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday on Charter Communications Channel 26. To ask a question during the show, call 547-3668.

"The Sandlot" comes to Verdugo Park The Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department will screen the children's classic "The Sandlot" at dusk Friday in Verdugo Park, 1621 Canada Blvd., as part of its Summer Moonlight Movies program. Families are invited to arrive early and bring a picnic dinner. For more information, call (818) 548-3785. Zarian to host local reform advocates Local residents B. Ritchie Payne and Richard Seeley will discuss City Council districts, voting by mail and campaign finance reform on the "Larry Zarian Forum" at 7 p.m. today on Charter Communications Channel 26. The live call-in program's phone number is (818)

On "The Larry Zarian Forum" tonight, former Mayor Larry Zarian will discuss two letters sent to the News-Press that called for an all-Armenian City Council. Zarian and guests Albert Abkarian and Sam Manoukian will talk about the effect the letters have had on the community and how the community should react, Zarian said. Abkarian is a member of the city's Civil Service Commission, and Manoukian is a member of the city's Board of Zoning Adjustments.

Final arguments have been filed in a second legal battle between Glendale and Charter Communications, which is alleging that the city is illegally using company-owned fiber optic strands and laundering access fees for purposes that violate state law. In closing arguments, filed in briefs with the court last week, Charter contends that it never agreed to allow the city to use the fiber optics at no charge, even after its local franchise obligation to...

More than year after Glendale emerged victorious from a legal fight with Charter Communications over its planned cable channel changes, the two are at it again. This time, Charter is accusing Glendale officials of illegally using strands of company-owned fiber optics cables and laundering access fees through a city agency to use them for purposes that violate state law. In Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, Charter's attorney Richard Patch said the city has been using strands of optical fiber in the company's system even after its local franchise obligation to provide them for free expired.

BURBANK - A 29-year-old Panorama City man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he and two other men posed as Charter Communications employees to steal copper wire from utility poles, officials said. Jesus Arreguin-Lopez faces a felony count of grand theft of copper wire belonging to the cable company, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint. The other two men - Jose Esparza, 26, of Van Nuys and Juan Lopez, 30, of Los Angeles - were also charged in the alleged copper wire theft, but they were released from jail on $20,000 bond each and won't be in court until next month, officials said.

GLENDALE — Charter Communications customers will see a mix-up of the local premium cable channel lineup next week as the company continues to wrangle with Glendale officials over GTV6. The channel realignment — which features the addition of 17 high-definition channels and six new digital channels — will take effect Tuesday in Glendale, Burbank, La Cañada, La Crescenta and Montrose. Basic cable channels 1 through 99, which includes the city's government and education access channels, will remain the same, officials said.

CITY HALL — A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge this week sided with the city in its attempt to block Charter Communications from rearranging the local channel lineup, including Glendale’s Emmy Award-winning government access channel GTV6. Superior Court Judge Donna Fields Goldstein on Monday granted the city’s request for a preliminary injunction, ruling that Charter needs the city’s consent for proposed channel changes. Goldstein granted a temporary injunction in January.

CITY HALL — A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge this week sided with Glendale in its attempt to block Charter Communications from rearranging the local channel line-up, including the city’s Emmy Award-winning government access channel, GTV6. Superior Court Judge Donna Fields Goldstein on Monday granted the city’s request for a preliminary injunction, ruling that Charter was required by state law to obtain the city’s consent for proposed channel changes.

BURBANK ? Glendale city attorneys on Friday asked a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to block Charter Communications from changing local government access channels. Superior Court Judge Donna Fields Goldstein didn?t make a decision on the preliminary injunction request, but issued a temporary restraining order in January that blocked Charter from reassigning the channels, a change that would have moved the Emmy-award-winning GTV6 to channel 3. Charter?s plan would shift Glendale?

After reading Jason Wells’ Jan. 16 article “City’s fight for GTV6 pays off,” I was hoping to get an update on the situation between the city of Glendale and Charter Communications. Is the situation still at a stalemate following the restraining order against Charter, or are the two sides close to reaching an agreement? It is an understatement to say that, over the years, Charter has not been an easy company with which to do business. However, I know that I speak for a number of Glendale and Burbank residents when I say that we were excited that Charter was finally bringing new high-definition channels to the area after two years of unchanged service.

In another attempt to show its power over Glendale residents, the government has won a court battle to retain the GTV6 channel at its same location on the dial, which is a loss for all residents. That city officials think we are so stupid not to be able to understand the simple operation of a channel changer, or possess the ability read a newspaper, is beyond belief. GTV6 has been a long-running advertisement for city services and has little if any relation to the daily lives of residents.