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Mission Statement & Implementation of Mission

Mission Statement:

The purpose of the Cable Advisory Committee (CAC), which is appointed by and reports to the Wayland Board of Selectmen (BoS), is to advise the BoS on all issues relating to cable television (CATV) services provided within the Town.  The BoS is the Issuing Authority that grants CATV franchise licenses to service providers.  The CAC’s principal responsibilities are to negotiate the terms of initial and renewal CATV licenses with service providers, to recommend that the BoS grant such licenses once they are negotiated, and to monitor the performance by the licensees of their obligations under such licenses in order to ensure compliance with license terms and conditions.  The CAC also attempts to resolve disputes brought to its attention between CATV subscribers and CATV service providers.  In addition, the CAC advises and consults with various Town organizations with respect to CATV matters on an ad hoc basis.

Implementation of the Cable Advisory Committee Mission:
 

  • The CAC typically works with Town-appointed legal counsel specializing in CATV matters to negotiate licenses with CATV service providers. When negotiated, such licenses are subject to approval by the BoS. At present, two CATV providers, Verizon and Comcast, offer service to Town residents.
  • The CAC, as in other Commonwealth communities, is recognized by the State and CATV service providers as representing the Issuing Authority (BoS) in many matters.
  • The CAC works with members of the Town’s local cable access corporation (Wayland Community Access & Media, Inc. or WayCAM) with respect to the provisions of CATV licenses that directly affect WayCAM’s activities, including its funding requirements.
  • In monitoring performance by CATV service providers the CAC seeks to ensure that all license requirements are fulfilled in accordance with their terms. Such requirements may include, among others, making timely payments; submitting required reports and ancillary information; completing CATV subscriber networks; installing and maintaining free municipal and school subscriber connections; providing video returns from designated municipal and school sites to WayCAM’s studio; ensuring the provision of local (Wayland) origin public access, governmental, and educational cable signals to CATV subscribers on designated channels; and complying with Customer Service Standards, as defined in the licenses.
  • In overseeing the installation and maintenance of the free municipal and school subscriber sites, the CAC works with the persons in charge of those sites, or their designees, to ensure optimum placement of the required outlet, to coordinate changes in required equipment and services, and to develop specialized instructions for use of these services, if needed.
  • As appropriate, the CAC participates in discussions with other technology focused organizations in the Town to promote effective audio-visual communications, and provides advice, as requested by the BoS, with respect to the condition and operation of the Town’s Municipal Area Network to the extent it is used for the provision of video returns from designated municipal and school sites to WayCAM’s studio.
  • The CAC has occasionally agreed to intercede in disputes between customers and service providers to promote timely resolution of issues.
  • Neither the BoS nor the CAC is authorized to address internet and telephone services that are also provided by CATV service providers. Nor is the BoS or the CAC authorized to approve the rates charged by CATV service providers to their CATV customers.