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From YouTube: Lance Haver at the Philadelphia City Council Public Property Hearing 11-12-2015 (Comcast)
Description
Philadelphia City Council's Director of Civic Engagement Lance Haver speaks at the hearing of Council's Public Property Committee on Thursday, November 12, 2015.
On the agenda was testimony and public comment on the proposed renewal of Comcast's franchise agreement with the city.
A
My
name
is
Lance
haver
I'm,
the
director
of
civic
engagement
for
Philadelphia
City
Council,
in
that
role
of
it,
I
have
attended
public
hearings
on
the
proposed
franchise
agreement,
met
with
community
and
civic
groups
and
have
through
email,
been
in
contact
with
all
the
city's
registered
community
organizations
and
thousands
of
concern.
Philadelphians
I'm,
going
to
summarize
the
testimony,
knowing
that
there
are
many
people
here
who
would
like
to
be
heard
so
I'm
going
to
just
go
right
to
the
issues.
A
The
the
issue
is
not
if
comcast
is
a
good
corporate
citizen,
but
what
should
consumers
in
the
cities
expect
as
a
fair
exchange
for
giving
Comcast
a
right
of
way
over
private
and
public
property?
That
is
the
question
before
council
in
the
city,
philadelphia.
Consumers
should
expect
pricing
and
service
that
met,
matches
the
best
pricing
and
service
that
comcast
offers
in
its
other
franchises.
A
No
Philadelphian
should
have
to
pay
higher
prices
or
live
with
lesser
service
because
we
are
comcast
hometown.
This
means
one
matching:
the
lowest
prices
offered
in
comcast
franchises
across
the
country
to
offering
the
same
senior
discounts
that
comcast
offers
in
other
franchises
three
having
a
consumer
call
center,
not
a
virtual
call
center,
but
a
call
center,
like
other
Comcast
franchise
areas
have
and
for
a
one-year
rate
freeze.
Much
like
a
signing
bonus
that
other
corporations
and
other
individuals
get.
A
We
should
have
an
end
to
bill
shock.
Every
consumer
should
receive
notice
at
least
30
days
in
advance
that
the
promotional
pricing
will
be
ending
and
providing
consumers
with
choices
out
as
to
how
they
may
want
to
change
their
service.
When
the
promotion
ends,
the
price
should
remain
the
same,
and
the
service
should
be
reduced
to
match
the
price.
Consumers
should
not
be
faced
with
much
higher
bills,
because
they've
lost
track
of
the
date
that
the
promotion
started.
A
Better
customer
service,
real
benchmarks
and
real
penalties
to
help
Comcast
meet
its
goal
of
improved
customer
service
and
a
better
way
to
resolve
consumer
and
billing
complaints.
The
current
system
asking
people
to
call
comcast
to
resolve,
complain
or
call
an
underfunded.
Understaffed
city
number
is
not
sufficient.
No
one
should
have
to
wait
on
hold
hour
after
hour
to
speak,
to
someone
at
comcast
to
say
that
they've
made
a
mistake
on
their
bill.
A
There
are,
there
are
more
issues
that
I
believe
should
be
included
in
the
franchise
agreement
or
an
aside
letter
such
as
the
expanse
of
the
Internet
essential
program,
adequate
funding
for
peg
stations
and
ensuring
that
all
citizens
have
access
to
government
through
the
internet.
I
believe
others
will
cover
those
topics,
so
I've
not
raised
them.
In
my
brief
testimony,
I
am
prepared
to
answer.
Any
questions
will
be
available
for
any
member
of
council
would
like
more
information.
Thank
you.