Marksville officials upset with Media 3 cable TV provider

Complaints from Media 3 customers, and frustration over the company’s failure to even acknowledge those complaints with a return phone call, had Marksville City Council members wondering whether they can “pull the plug” on the cable/internet provider when the current franchise agreement expires.

Last Wednesday’s “bash fest” on Media 3 marked the second time an elected government body openly talked about refusing to renew the company’s franchise agreement to operate within its jurisdiction.

The Avoyelles Police Jury recently also expressed their unhappiness with Media 3 and talked about not renewing the franchise agreement.

The jury’s main issue was that the company had fallen significantly behind in its franchise fee payment and “there seems to be no chain of command in the company to get things done,” Jury President Charles Jones said.

Media 3 has caught up -- mostly -- with its franchise fee payments to the parish, but is still about a quarter behind in its payments, Jones added. The franchise agreement with the parish expires next year.

‘CAN GO ELSEWHERE’

City Attorney Derrick Whittington told the City Council his legal advice would be against “limiting a business’s ability to operate just because you are not pleased with its service.” He said the consumer marketplace is the best way to deal with that kind of problem.

“The customers can go elsewhere for that service,” he said.

While Media 3 is the only cable TV provider in the city limits, there are satellite TV systems and other internet providers available to city residents.

Lemoine said he has had several Marksville citizens call him to complain about Media 3.

“Media 3 is giving poor service,” the mayor said. “They have cut out some local channels,” which he noted is the primary reason many people have cable rather than satellite TV/internet services.

To add insult to injury, Lemoine noted it is nigh unto impossible to reach a local representative with the authority to respond to a complaint.

“You have to call Tennessee,” he said.

Lemoine said he has called the Media 3 HQ in Tennessee and left messages for someone to call him, “but they have never called me back.”

Lemoine said he requested a Media 3 representative attend the council meeting, but no one from the company attended.

Councilman Mike Gremillion said he got tired of the poor service from Media 3 and changed to a satellite service.

Maria Trichell, aide to state Rep. Robert Johnson, said that her office “gets complaints about Media 3 every week.”

She has made several calls and received assurances that problems would be resolved, but the complaints continue to come in.

During discussion it was noted that even if the council could legally end Media 3’s ability to do business inside the city limits by rejecting its franchise agreement, it wouldn’t be fair to Media 3 customers with no complaints about their service.

IN OTHER BUSINESS

In other business, the council:
-- Discussed the need to ask Zoning Committee members whether they want to continue serving on the committee. The committee frequently fails to have enough members at the meeting to allow it to conduct business and make recommendations on zoning issues.

-- Noted the city hauled 10 loads of sand for sandbags during the rains from Hurricane Harvey. The city spent $2,000 for sand and sandbags. Many of those coming to the site to load sandbags were from outside the city. Council members discussed whether to require IDs at the site in the future and limit distribution only to city residents.

-- Introduced an ordinance to renew the franchise agreement for CenterPoint Energy, a natural gas provider.

-- Approved a permit to sell beverages of low and high alcohol content to Haddad’s Petroleum, located at 333 E. Mark St. It was noted that while this location is close to two churches, it is “grandfathered” because liquor has been sold there since before the ordinance affecting proximity to churches and schools was adopted.

-- Met in closed session to discuss strategy in the federal civil lawsuit filed by Christopher Few, in connection with the Nov. 3, 2015 incident in which two Marksville City Marshal’s deputies shot and killed his son, Jeremy Mardis, and seriously wounded him. The city is a defendant in that suit.