Office of Cable Communications Cable television subscriber satisfaction survey>>>Take the survey now! The King County Executive and King County Council welcome the opinions and suggestions of current cable customers in unincorporated King County. NewsThe Digital Television (DTV) Transition - UPDATECiting that citizens needed more time for this transition, Congress recently passed the DTV Delay Act, which postpones the conclusion of the digital television transition from February 17, 2009 to June 12, 2009 and gives U.S. households additional time to prepare for this historic switch. On June 12, 2009 all TV broadcast stations (such as ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and Univision) must cease their analog broadcast transmissions and begin broadcasting exclusively in a digital format. Consumers who receive free over-the-air TV programming and rely on antennas (including outside antennas and rabbit ears) will have three options in order to continue receiving television: - Purchase and connect a "digital-to-analog converter box" to your analog TV Purchase a digital television (a TV with a built-in digital tuner)
- Purchase a digital television (a TV with a built-in digital tuner)
- Subscribe to a paid service such as cable or satellite TV
All U.S. Households will be eligible to request up to two (2) coupons worth $40 each, good for 90 days, to be used towards the purchase of converter boxes. The Coupon Program will end on July 31, 2009 and cannot accept requests to replace lost, stolen, or expired coupons.  Digital Channel Migration
Beginning on March 16, 2009 and in order to access your TV stations beyond channel 29, all Comcast customers will be required to have a digital adapter cable box in place for each TV set that currently is not receiving digital service. These adapter boxes are free and simple to install and simple to operate. Please go to www.comcastsea.com/dta/webapplication1/default.aspx or call 1-877-634-4434 in order to order your equipment from Comcast. Once Comcast receives your order, they will send your digital adapters directly to you in the form of a self-install kit (SIK). Migrations will be done incrementally. Please be sure to note all communications from Comcast to know when your area is scheduled for the change. Verizon to Offer Cable TV Service in Parts of Unincorporated King County
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Since April 2008, the County has met with Verizon several times in response to their request to provide cable TV service, through the FiOS network, within their current telephone footprint in unincorporated King County. While much agreement has been met, still at issue are several regulations provided for in the King County Code, required of all cable TV providers. These regulations are very important and help ensure that the community needs and interests of the citizens of unincorporated King County are met. We continue to meet with Verizon in an attempt to resolve these issues, as King County highly supports competition and state-of-the-art services for King County citizens. Final approval of the contract is required by the King County Council. Staffs of both the Executive and the Council are involved in the negotiation process. If you have any questions regarding the County’s negotiations with Verizon, contact Chris Jaramillo or (206) 263-7881. |
| Do you live in the proposed unincorporated Verizon franchise area? Click on the map to see. |
Broadstripe (Millennium Digital Media) Files Chapter 11 BankruptcyOn January 2, 2009 Millennium Digital Media LLC (MDM) and Broadstripe Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an effort to reorganize the company's financial structure. MDM informed King County of their filing on January 14th, 2009. While MDM continues to complete this process through the bankruptcy court, customers of MDM should see no changes in service, and all contacts for customer service remain the same. If you have any questions regarding the reorganization filing, please contact MDM at contact_nw@broadstripe.com or call 1(800)829-2225. | Renewal of Cable FranchisesThe county has been notified by Broadstripe (formerly Millennium Digital Media Systems) and Comcast Cable, and in accordance with Section 626 of the 1984 Cable Act, of their intention to renew their cable TV franchisees with King County.
The county is in the process of soliciting citizens and cable television subscribers to identify the community needs and interest for these cable systems. Community meetings will be held during the summer of 2009. Those wishing to make comments or participate in the meetings should contact Chris Jaramillo. Low-income discountComcast offers senior citizens (65 years or older) and those who have a permanent disability living in unincorporated King County a low-income discount on the lowest tier of cable TV service offered. See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
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