The City Council wants cable television subscribers in Annapolis to get Home Team Sports (HTS) and ESPN2 as part of their basic package. But TCI Cablevision, which has a contract ++ to provide service in the city, is balking.
TCI General Manager William J. Forest said it is illegal for the council to alter the basic cable package unilaterally and that the cable company will sue if those changes are approved.
"We think the city should survey cable subscribers to see if ESPN2 and Home Team Sports are indeed what they want," he said.
He said federal law prohibits the city from prescribing which channels belong in a basic cable package.
The council is to take up the new contract in a meeting at 6 tonight in council chambers, then make its "best and final" offer to TCI, which it has been negotiating with for the last 18 months, said Ward 5 Alderman Carl O. Snowden.
"TCI will have to make a choice on whether to accept the offer or move on," said Mr. Snowden, chairman of the finance committee, which oversees the cable contract.
HTS carries local professional sports teams such as the Orioles, the Capitals and the Bullets. ESPN2 carries a yachting show based in Annapolis among its programs.
tTC Basic cable service costs Annapolis area subscribers $9.22 a month for 21 channels. Extended basic cable goes for $11.29 a month for 27 channels, Mr. Forest said.
TCI's contract expired last spring and the last of three extensions is due to expire Monday. TCI will have 30 days to accept or reject the city's contract proposal.
If the city and TCI cannot reach an agreement, other cable companies are eager to fill the void. Jones Intercable Inc. has expressed an interest in serving the city, and says it will include the two sports channels in its basic package.
In other matters, the City Council is to consider two proposals to slice hourly parking meter rates in half. One bill, proposed by Ward 1 Alderman Louise Hammond, would reduce the fees from $1 an hour to 50 cents an hour through Jan. 31. The other proposal, offered by Ward 7 Alderman M. Theresa DeGraff, would extend the lower rates to June 1.