Pol Wants to Know Why
By Hank Russell
A local elected official is calling on the cable company to explain why the town’s government access channel has been moved from Channel 18 to Channel 1310.
On August 22, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico received an email from Altice USA (formerly Optimum) that the move was made “effective immediately,” he said.
Viewers who turn on Channel 18 will see a message from Altice USA noting that the channel is no longer in operation and, instead, will be seen on Channel 1310.
In a statement, Panico said that he was told by Altice that the changes to Brookhaven and all Suffolk town access channels were made because, “These new channel assignments will allow for easier customer navigation and a better user experience.”
“Why anyone would think the change would make it ‘easier or a better user experience’ is puzzling to us and will be protested at the upcoming Suffolk County Town Supervisors Association monthly meeting,” Panico stated.
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to Altice USA for comment. Spokesperson Erin Smyth explained why the lineup was changed. “Changing consumer viewing habits call for occasional shifts in TV lineups to easily allow customers to access the content they want in the most optimal locations within their lineups,” she said.
Smyth emphasized that the change in the lineup will not result in disruption of service.
“The change in channel location for the PEG (Public Education Government) channels in question has been carefully designed to enhance our customers’ experience by placing all PEG content within a dedicated and easily accessible channel block in the 1300s.”
John C. Zaher, Esq., president of the Public Relations and Marketing Group in Patchogue and former community affairs manager of TCI/Cablevision of Brookhaven from 1994-1998, commented on the situation.
“The Brookhaven cable system’s local public channels have a long history of providing members of the public and elected officials the opportunity to use cable channels for local community programming,” Zaher said. “That access has steadily eroded over the years. At a time when cable customers are cutting the cord and moving to streaming, Altice should be working to enhance its local programming, not trying to bury it into obscurity.”
In the meantime, Panico said, the town and zoning board meetings, as well as “Supervisor Panico On The Air” and “Brookhaven Today,” will air on Channel 1310 until further notice.