Wednesday, October 4, 2000
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Wednesday, October 4, 2000 |
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County: AT&T Cable is improving service By DAVE HAMRICK Fayette residents who have problems with AT&T Broadband cable service are getting more attention now, says acting County Manager Chris Cofty. "The officers assigned to Fayette County... have both personally contacted people who have problems," said Cofty, "and that just makes me feel better." AT&T, which recently took over the local cable service after buying out MediaOne and Intermedia, is working to replace all 800 miles of antiquated coaxial cable in Fayette with state-of-the-art fiber optic equipment. The long-term result will be better reception and more choices for local customers, but the short-term result has been an explosion in complaints as the construction causes interruptions in service and poor reception. Cofty and other county officials met with company representatives recently after Cofty had complained that local residents were getting poor service and rude treatment and the company's construction work in Fayette was being done improperly without permits. The firm has put in place a new system for dealing with complaints and is working with county officials to make sure its construction work doesn't damage county property, Cofty said. "They are permitting correctly now, and sending us on a daily basis reports on where they'll be working," he said, adding that the new guidelines call for the company to deal with customer complaints that come through the county office in the same day. "We've seen a decrease in the number of complaints, but we are still getting complaints daily," he said. Construction of the new lines and facilities is scheduled for completion by the end of next month, but a moratorium on further work issued by the Georgia Department of Transportation may put that deadline in jeopardy, said Cofty. DOT and AT&T have come to an impasse because the agency feels the company should pay fees to use its rights of way for cable installation, and AT&T disagrees. The delay, though, may be a blessing in disguise. "Maybe they'll go a little bit slower and not upset as many people at one time," he said. In addition to improving service and improving communication with the county, the company has agreed to fix any problems that have occurred due to earlier installation of lines without getting permits, Cofty said. But those retroactive concerns will take a back seat to completing the rebuild and solving customers' problems, he said. "These are things I can work with them on," he said.
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