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4 City residents now have a choice in cable television service providers. The City Council approved a new cable franchise agreement with Century- Link at its November 30, 2015, meeting, ushering in a new era of competition for cable television service dollars in the City. Comcast of Minnesota, Inc. is the incum- bent franchised cable operator in Arden Hills and has been the lone option for cable television service since their initial cable television franchise was granted in 1983. According to the Findings of Fact related to the agreement, the City Council ap- proved the franchise based on the benefits it would bring to the City and its residents. It would create competition in the delivery of cable services that will: • introduce state-of-the-art broadband networks that increase the availability and quality of cable services, • spur the development of new tech- nologies, • improve customer service issues, and • minimize rate increases. “Competition for any service – in any market – is a good thing,” said Patrick Haggerty, Legislative & Regulatory Affairs – Midwest Region for CenturyLink. “The feedback we’ve received thus far indicates that people are excited about having an alternative video services provider option.” Reasonable, equitable build-out planned CenturyLink currently provides tele- phone and internet services in Arden Hills through an existing legacy communications system. Upgrades to this infrastructure must be completed to accommodate the addition of video services to their offerings. The telephone/internet/cable television service bundle that CenturyLink offers is called PRISM®TV. The approved franchise agreement outlines an equitable build-out of cable infrastruc- ture for the entire City following reason- able provisions set forth by the Federal Cable Act. The agreement calls for system construction over a five-year period, with an initial mandatory minimum build-out commitment of 15 percent of the City within the next two years. Provisions in the franchise agreement related to quarterly meetings and expanded, additional build- out based on market success are designed to accelerate this initial timeline. Comparing to Comcast The State’s “level playing field” statute is in place to ensure a competing cable franchise is not more advantageous than an incumbent franchise in respect to franchise fees (both pay the City at five percent), area served (both offer service to the entire City), and public, educational and govern- ment (PEG) access requirements offered. The franchises are largely similar in these respects. However, CenturyLink’s franchise term is five years as compared to 15 years for Comcast; and Comcast’s current PEG com- mitments are exceeded by the CenturyLink franchise in the following areas: • Sixteen total PEG channels offered, all in High-Definition (HD) and acces- sible through premiere placement in a “North Suburban Mosaic,” • A Twin Cities Metro PEG Interconnect Network, by which the City can share live programming with other cities, • Usage of unsold/unused airtime for the NSCC to air public service announce- ments, and • Twenty-five hours of video on-demand service per member city. Do you qualify? “Our deployment will be scattered, as it is the characteristics of our infrastructure that determine whether a household qualifies for the PRISM services,” explains Hagger- ty. To find out if your household qualifies for PRISM®TV – or for more informa- tion about PRISM®TV features, channel lineup, and plans and prices – visit www. seeprismtv.com or contact local retailers in Roseville (651-631-2682, RosevilleRe- tail@centurylink.com) or Blaine (763-795- 8082, BlaineRetail@centurylink.com). To learn more: The City Council Findings of Fact, other documents relating to and supporting the approval of the franchise agreement, as well as the approved cable television franchise ordinance in its entirety, are post- ed on the City’s website in the November 30, 2015 City Council meeting archives. CenturyLink franchise brings cable options to Arden Hills residents by Tina Kulzer Get household items fixed for free and learn valuable repair skills at the next Fix-It Clinic--Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Maplewood Library, 3025 Southlawn Drive, Maplewood. Counselor Realty moved into approxi- mately 4,000 square feet of space in the former McGuire’s building at 1201 County Road E in July 2015. Nineteen full-time real estate brokers office out of the space which also includes a training center and conference room. Counselor subleases space to a Minneso- ta mortgage broker and title company for the convenience of their clients. Coun- selor was previously located in Fridley, but according to Kevin Bumgardner, managing partner, the brokers are largely based in the Arden Hills-Shoreview area in terms of their work and their families. “Brokers really wanted to find a location in Arden Hills.” Now that they are settled into the new office, Counselor looks forward to hosting gatherings on their patio this summer. Counselor Realty finds a home in Arden Hills Get it fixed for free!