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Show Cable TV rate hike seeks input A public hearing, July 20, will air the request of Acton Cable Television Company to increase their monthly rate from $7.50 to $9 in the Ashley Valley. Basis for granting or denying the requested re-quested rate increase will be influenced influenc-ed by comments at the public hearing. "We've heard some complaints about the cable service, but no one shows up to the hearings so the council coun-cil is forced to make a decision without public input," said Kenneth Bassett, Vernal City manager. Acton Cable Television requested the rate increase, which has to be sanctioned by the city, last April, but a decision was postponed until May. At the April meeting it was determined deter-mined that additional information needed to be provided by the company. City Councilman Karl Migliori requested re-quested the company provide a projected pro-jected return report on their new investment. in-vestment. Since the meeting a return report has been submitted. The company bases its request for an increase on over $500,000 the company com-pany has invested in equipment including in-cluding new microdyne satellite receivers, triple crown modules, and completely new cable to every home they serve in Ashley Valley. The new equipment has been on line for about three months. Doug Johnson, regional manager for Acton, admitted that cable television service in the Vernal area was poor prior to the new system, and therefore they had not approached the city with a rate increase. But with the new system, Johnson said, the service has been greatly improved, and the rate increase is now necessary to allow the company to show a profit. Johnson said his company is serving 12 areas in Utah, and Vernal is the only area below $9. Acton is also requesting to increase additional set charges from $1.50 to $5. There is no reason the company should not receive the same amount of money for each set serviced, Johnson said. Cable is not like an additional telephone. When you have two phones in the house, when one is busy, so is the other. With cable, one set can be used entirely separately from another. The exact same service, with the same picture pic-ture is being provided twice, for only $1.50 additional. ... The public hearing will begin at 8 p.m. to act on the rate increase. r t? - : TV ' " " ! i .. r l A Ji U 1 SUZANNE ORTON, sales and catering at the Sheraton Inn is given the Employee of the Month Award from manager Roger Burns. |