Austin News

Georgetown city officials have taken action to address a grievance residents have against internet and cable provider SuddenLink Communications over poor customer service and inconsistent billing rates.

The City Council unanimously approved a resolution on Jan. 14 expressing its dissatisfaction with SuddenLink’s customer service and asking the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUC) to force the company to comply with customer service standards established by the Federal Communications Commission on the cable provider.

In addition to complaints about the company’s service, the council’s actions were in response to growing concern within the community that SuddenLink was being allowed to operate as a monopoly.

During a council meeting last December where the resolution was conceptualized, Council Member Steve Fought tried to clarify the misunderstanding residents have about the city’s agreement with SuddenLink.

According to Community Impact Newspaper, Fought said the cable company no longer has a franchise agreement with the city since the state adopted a statewide cable franchise agreement provision in 2005 that took effect as existing franchise agreements expired.

The franchise agreement Georgetown had with SuddenLink expired in 2010 and the statewide agreement took over, Fought explained, adding that rates are set at state and federal levels.

The reason why SuddenLink seems to have monopoly is because it invested heavily to establish itself in the city by setting up physical assets and virtual technology.

For a competitor to have a shot at tapping into the market, it would need to be willing to make a sizable investment to have a fighting chance at competing with SuddenLink.

So far, no cable providers have considered it worth their while to invest so heavily in a small city of 80,000. Until that happens, SuddenLink with be the only available option for internet and cable for Georgetown residents.

In addition to its letter to PUC, the council plans to send copies to State Reps. James Talarico and Terry M. Wilson, Sen. Charles Schwertner and to each commissioner of the PUC.