The Martha's Vineyard Times

Chappy-Comcast trajectory is a travesty

November 16, 2011

To the Editor:

I am a Chappaquiddick resident who has been waiting for many years to have Comcast provide us with cable coverage. The reason for not providing service is usually couched in financial terms: Comcast is required to take "into account the cost of meeting such needs and interests." However, there is also a revenue side to this business decision, so Comcast also has an obligation to its stockholders to determine if revenues over some period of time will exceed costs.

I have one simple question to ask. Has Comcast ever presented to the cable advisory board, or to the Edgartown selectmen, a full financial analysis of the estimated costs and revenues associated with providing service to Chappy? If not, then any decision will be a travesty.

If the analysis is available, have the details been made available to the public? I do not recollect Chappy residents being asked by Comcast how much they would be willing to pay for cable service, so I am curious how the revenue side could be estimated in the first place.

Stephen Pollock

Edgartown