Message from Your Board Member - Fall
2009
At our Association meeting last January, several co-owners asked
if it would be possible to bring in some additional Internet and
cable TV service providers so that we could have a choice other
than Comcast (and satellite TV providers). I've learned that up
until late 2007, it was still legal for building developers and
cable providers to sign exclusive service agreements. It was then
that the Federal Communications Commission nullified all
exclusivity clauses in existing agreements and banned their use
in future agreements in an attempt to promote competition.
AT&T U-verse and WOW! are Comcast's primary competitors in
Shelby Township for bundled Internet and Cable TV service and
where one or both competitors are available, Comcast will often
match the competition's promotional rates. However, if you call
Comcast customer service and ask for the same rate your friend
across town is paying, they will ask for your address and come
back in a few seconds and tell you, "Sorry, there's nothing
we can do for you". That's because they know that AT&T U-verse
and WOW! are not available here within the Manors. The AT&T
service is currently not available to addresses within the Manors
because we are located too far from their nearest multiplexing
equipment. WOW! is currently not available within the Manors only
because they do not have the necessary easement agreements to
bury their cables within any of the four subassociations that
make up the Central Park community.
Because the Manors is located in the northwest section of the
Central Park property, the only way WOW! can bring their service
to us is by crossing through easements in one or more of the
Associations located to our south and/or east. Therefore, not
only will they need an easement agreement with the Manors, they
will also need one with the Meadows, Gardens and/or Kensington
Associations in order to bring their service to our property. I
am working with WOW!'s local director of operations to define the
requirements and I have broached the subject of granting
easements with our neighboring Associations. This process will
take some time to navigate but hopefully we will get the
necessary support to pull it off. I will keep you apprised of our
progress on the Manors blog at http://manorsatcentralpark.blogspot.com/
.
On a completely unrelated subject, if you are at all interested
in obscure historical stories with a local connection, tune in to
WTVS-Detroit Public TV on Sunday, Nov. 8th and watch the
broadcast premiere of "Voices of a Never Ending Dawn".
I briefly appear on camera during the second half of the film to
describe my grandfather's role in the Nov. 4, 1918 battle near
Emtsa, North Russia where elements of the Bolshevik Red Army
attacked his U.S. Army infantry company. The broadcast time has
not yet been finalized, so check you local listings or visit the
Manors blog at http://manorsatcentralpark.blogspot.com/ where I
will have a posting about the film that will include the start
time once it is announced.
Mike Grobbel