Annual Franchise Entities Survey

LARA: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

Michigan.gov: Official Web Site for the State of Michigan

MPSC Home | Contact MPSC | Sitemap | FAQ |

Status of Competition for Video Services in Michigan

Annual Franchise Entities Survey - 2012

This survey is for all franchise entities (municipalities) in Michigan pursuant to section 12(2) of the Uniform Video Services Local Franchise Act, Public Act 480 of 2006. “Franchise Entity” means the local unit of government (city, village, or township) in which a provider offers video services through a franchise.

Please do not provide any information that may be deemed confidential. Please submit your response to this survey by November 30, 2012, and submit only one (1) survey response per franchise entity.

Should you have any questions regarding this information request, please e-mail Christina Forist at foristc@michigan.gov.

* * * * *

Contact Information (Required Fields *)
Franchise Entity (Municipality)*
Address*
Address 2
City/Township/Village*
County*
State*
Zip*
Contact Person*
Direct Phone*
Direct Email*

1.	Prior to 2006 PA 480 taking effect on January 1, 2007, how many video/cable (not satellite) providers were offering service in your area? (Check only one) 0 1 2 3 4
2.	Since January 1, 2012, how many new video/cable (not satellite) providers have filed for a Uniform Video Services Local Franchise Agreement in your area? (Check only one) 0 1 2 3 4
3.	How many total video/cable providers have franchise agreements to service your community in 2012? (Check only one) 0 1 2 3 4
4.	Please indicate the video/cable providers that are currently providing video/cable service to your community. (Select as many that apply) Comcast Charter Communications AT&T U-verse Other (Please write in box below)
5.	Please indicate the satellite providers that you are aware of that are currently offering video/cable service in your community. (Select as many that apply) Dish Network Direct TV Other (Please write in box below)
6.	Are you aware of the video dispute resolution process, Public Act 4 of 2009? Yes No
7.	Is your franchise entity still receiving video/cable complaints from customers? Yes No

7a.	How many video/cable complaints did your community receive in 2012?
7b.	Does your community attempt to resolve those complaints? Yes No
7c.	How many of the above video/cable complaints did you forward to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC)?
7d.	What were some of the most frequent video/cable complaints received? (Check all that apply) Rates Customer Service Billing Issues Service/Equipment Problems and Outages Other (Check box on left and fill in box below)

Are you aware that the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) can assist customers, franchise entities and providers who have video/cable questions and/or problems?

Yes
No

During 2012, have there been any informal or formal disputes regarding your Uniform Video Service Local Franchise Agreements?

Yes
No

If you checked yes, what was the dispute regarding? (Check all that apply)

Franchise Fee
Agreement Language
PEG Fee
Filing Dates
Other (briefly explain below)

10.

Did your franchise entity contact the MPSC regarding the dispute?

Yes
No

11.

Since PA 480 has become effective, what has been the impact (if any) on your community?(Select Increase/Decrease or None for each item below)

  Video/Cable Competition?
  Franchise Fee payments?
  PEG Fee payments/support?
  Video/Cable Complaints?
  Other?

12.

Has the quality of service and/or service offerings of the providers changed in your community since PA 480 became effective? (Select Increase/Decrease or None for each item below)

  Customer Service Quality
  PEG Studios and Equipment
  Services Offered by Provider
  Number of Customer Service Centers
  Other?

13.

Does your community have designated Public, Education, and Government (PEG) channels?

Yes
No

14.

Have you completed this survey prior to 2012?

Yes
No

15.

The MPSC has a series of Public Service Announcements informing customers on issues relating to cable, telecommunications, natural gas and electric services. To receive these notifications please provide your email address.

Email Address

16.

The MPSC sends a hard copy letter to all municipalities (franchise entities) requesting the completion of this survey. In the future would you like to also receive this notification by email?

Yes
No

If you answered YES, and the email contact is different than what was provided at the beginning of the survey, please provide that information here:

Franchise Entity

Contact Person

Email Address

17.

Please provide any other comments or suggestions.

(Maximum characters: 500)
You have characters left.

Please review the form before clicking submit. All fields are required.
Please press submit only once. By submitting, you are certifying that the foregoing responses are true and correct to the best of your knowledge, information, and belief.

Updated: Sep 10, 2012