I am pleased to announce that the Cable Co-op Board of Trustees and myself (your GM) have decided to not increase prices this year for either television or internet. We have not increased rates since 2021.
As a
nonprofit, member-owned entity we strive to keep costs low and maintain a
members-first approach. Through the great efforts of the Board of Trustees and
your GM, we are once again in a position to not have to raise rates.
New
Cable Co-op has started our FEN (Fiber Enriched Network) project. We are adding more fiber optics to our system. This will improve reliability and allow us to offer faster upload speeds.
Cable Co-op has increased internet speeds again! (Check our website for details) We have increased speeds six times since 2022 and have not increased rates since 2021!
Reminder
Our Advanced Wi-Fi comes with Global Award-winning protection, at
no extra cost. If you have Wi-Fi, you need Cable Co-op’s Advanced Wi-Fi! Best
technology available, lifetime warranty, free installation, and cheaper than
you can buy on your own! Change to our Advanced Wi-Fi and get the protection
you need, the quality you deserve, and a price that fits your budget.
I am proud to be working for our members and our Board of Trustees. Cable Co-op is moving forward to improve services, keep prices low, and add valuable products for our members. We have not increased rates since 2021. Cable Co-op continues to change in a positive direction. We are proud of the services we offer, the support we provide, and our ability to help our community.
New
Cable Co-op is upgrading our entire network to a Fiber Enriched Network (FEN). For more detailed information on the FEN project please visit https://www.oberlin.net/fiber-enriched-network/.
Important Reminder
Our Advanced Wi-Fi is a great value-added service for our members.
The best technology, best support, and best price in the industry. For more
information please visit: https://www.oberlin.net/advanced-wi-fi/
Sign up for email billing and/or auto-pay and help save our trees!
You can also pay online with your Oberlin.net internet service. Call us for
help getting started.
Thank you for your membership. Please know we value you and use
our resources in the best interest of you and your community.
I am proud to be working for our members and our Board of Trustees.
With our current economy and prices increasing everywhere, Cable Co-op has
decided to offer some relief to its members. For the first time in Cable Co-op
history, we have decided to not increase prices this year for either television
or internet. This is a historic first for Cable Co-op and it is what I
believe being a member-owned co-operative is all about: you, our members.
Cable Co-op: Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time!!
In case you missed it Cable Co-op increased upload speeds for all
members in July.
In August we have increased Level 5 Internet to 1 Gbps.
Upgrade your current internet to the next level and get a $15 credit.
BIG Things Coming!!
Cable Co-op has had fiber optics in use since 2003, but we are now
researching Fiber to the Home (FttH) technology to get fiber optics to all our
members. We plan on deploying a test area this year, 2022. More information
will be available via our website and social media in the coming months.
This
has been a time of transition for the Cable Co-op, as we grew from a small
TV-focused provider serving the Oberlin community to a total communications
company offering both cable TV and internet services. Our original mission
remains even as we’ve grown to keep pace with rapid technological changes and
community needs.
General
Manager Ralph Potts, who has been the eyes, ears, face, and leader of OCC, is
retiring after 35 years. We thank Ralph for his guidance and leadership over
those years. The OCC Board of Trustees was keenly aware that replacing a
central figure like Ralph could be a daunting task. Our hiring committee
developed a process, employed a professional search company to assist, and
found, interviewed, and hired the best candidate from within. That person had
been guided and mentored by Ralph over the years, and thus is perfect for the
position. So as we say goodbye and thank you to Ralph Potts we enthusiastically
say hello and welcome to Jay Shrewsbury – the new General Manager of Oberlin Cable
Co-op.
John Memmott
President, Board of
Trustees
Oberlin Cable Co-op
New
Starting April 1, 2022, Cable Co-op has a new General Manager. Jay Shrewsbury is not new to Cable Co-op but is new to the position of GM. Jay began with Cable Co-op over twenty years ago and has held many positions – most recently as Operations Manager. Jay has a big vision for Cable Co-op and plans on bringing new tech and new community involvement.
Cable Co-op’s
office is being remodeled. By the time you receive this Newsletter we should be
done with our work and our doors should be back open to the public. We
apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
What’s happening?
Want to help lead a local nonprofit that is community-focused and member-owned? Nomination forms for the Oberlin Cable Co-op Board of Trustees will be available June 27 at the Cable Co-op office or on our website, www.oberlin.net. You must be a member of Cable Co-op, which simply means you have one or more of our services and your bill is in good standing. We are looking for members who want to help us grow and add a new perspective. If you want to know more about the roles and responsibilities of Cable Co-op Board members, please visit:
Whether it’s “Chalk Walk,” the “Comedy Night Fundraiser,” or numerous other events, Cable Co-op either sponsors, attends, or is part of the events that help your community.
Your Community,
Your Cable Company!
Did you Know?
Cable Co-op was founded over thirty-five years ago by community members that wanted more than just a cable TV provider. That is what they got with the formation of Cable Co-op – a nonprofit, community-focused, member-owned, Board-directed internet and cable provider that has supported the Oberlin community for nearly four decades.
A Message from John Memmott President of the Oberlin Cable Co-op Board of Trustees:
We thought 2020 was an exceptional and interesting year and 2021 has become even more exceptional and interesting! We thought all would have been resolved in 2020 and yet the trials and tribulations have continued. And Oberlin Cable Co-op worked resolutely through 2020 and continued without a break into and through 2021. Service and connectivity have progressed to meet the demand; our organization continues to proactively address the needs of our community. Oberlin Cable Co-op has maintained our positive and interactive connection to the city, our businesses, and our schools. The Board of Trustees would like to again commend the Oberlin Cable Co-op staff who kept operations going, who answered and solved the distress calls of subscribers, and who made our co-op better even under the stress of an endless pandemic. Hopefully and eventually our world will become more “normal?” and Oberlin Cable Co-op will continue to provide excellent service to the Oberlin community.
Rate Changes Effective October 1, 2021:
Our contracts ABC/Disney and other providers have been re-negotiated and there will be cost increases associated with the new carriage agreements for channels they own. These include, among others, Disney, ESPN, ESPN2, National Geographic, FX, Freeform, Hallmark, and NBC/Universal. Unfortunately, this increases the rates we must charge you to be able to maintain these channels in your cable service. Every dollar of your cable TV bill is used to pay these fees and help maintain our network. Listed below are the new rates effective October 1, 2021:
Current New Basic Service Only (Select) $30.95/month $33.95/month Expanded Basic (Prime) $81.95/month $86.95/month Economy Basic (Preferred) $63.95/month $66.95/month
Cable Co-op Annual Membership Meeting:
The 33rd Cable Co-op Annual Membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021 at 7:00 PM. We had hoped we would be able to have this year’s meeting in person, but because of the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, your Board of Trustees felt that it would be safer for all to conduct it virtually again this year. As last year, you must preregister to attend the webinar. Registration for the webinar will begin on Monday, September 13, 2021. If you would like to join the meeting you must preregister by going to our website (www.oberlin.net) and click on the link named “2021 Annual Meeting Webinar Registration”. You will be asked to fill in the appropriate information and a confirmation email will be sent to you within three (3) business days with the meeting login credentials. To be authorized, you must register by 5:00 PM on Friday, October 8, 2021. Please note that only current members of Oberlin Cable Co-op will be authorized to join the meeting. If you have any questions about how to register or have difficulty registering, please do not hesitate to contact our office. At this meeting, the Board and Staff will give their reports for Fiscal year 2020/21 and will provide the Board election results for the newly-elected Board members from the ballots that were sent to you in September. We sincerely hope you will plan to attend.
Special Announcement from the General Manager:
After 34 years as the GM of Oberlin Cable Co-op, I have announced to the Board of Trustees of my intention to retire in June 2022. I will be 68 years old and am now ready to spend the rest of my days with my wife of 42 years, Maureen, my 3 children, and 9 grandchildren. When I came to Oberlin in 1987, I had worked for the third largest Cable TV Company in the country for 15 years. My dream was to find a “small town” where I could work to provide a service to the community, for the benefit of the community, and not a bunch of investors that had only their wallets at heart. I found that “small town” in Oberlin. When I was recruited to come to Oberlin, I could see the enthusiasm that the Board and other community members had in getting the organization up and running. I so wanted to be a part of that enthusiasm that I made my decision to be a part of it in less than 24 hours. In all of these years, being a part of the success of Oberlin Cable Co-op was not my job, it was my mission. In all this time, I have never regretted making the decision to come here. I have met and worked with so many great people in this town; my list would be miles long if I wrote down the names. These people and the members our organization has served all these years helped to maintain my enthusiasm to continue to fulfill the mission of this organization and that of the community we serve. As with any organization, no one person can do it alone. The working relationships I have enjoyed with past and present Board and Staff members have been everything in the success of Oberlin Cable Co-op. Without their hard work and support the organization would not be what it is today. I was just lucky enough to be here and share in the success. Over the next few months, the Board will be tasked to find my replacement. I am sure they will do their job to make the right decision and choose someone that will have the commitment to carry on the mission of Oberlin Cable Co-op that I am so proud of. In my departure, I will miss not having a specific daily purpose each day, but will find a way to enjoy the “Me” time. However, I will truly miss working with the people that have been a huge part of my life and I consider as “Family”. I wish the best for the Community and its future, but especially to all of the Oberlin Cable Co-op members and organizations that have been my life since 1987
A Message from John Memmott, President of the Oberlin Cable Co-op Board of Trustees
“2020 has certainly turned out to be an exceptional and interesting year. A year that accentuated the services offered by Oberlin Cable Co-op. The Board of Trustees could not anticipate how essential those services would become. At the beginning of this year who could foresee the arrival of Zoom meetings or the need to stream TV series? Who knew that our community would be so dependent on internet connectivity – our schools, churches, and businesses all communicating with our technology? The Board of Trustees and I have been very pleased that the Cable Co-op infrastructure could adjust to that heightened need – that our services could expand to address the lifelines needed to keep our homes, schools, and businesses connected. We are especially pleased to have worked with the Oberlin City Schools to ensure that all students have the equipment and connectivity to be educated remotely in their homes last spring and continuing into this fall. The Board of Trustees would like to commend the Oberlin Cable Co-op staff who kept operations going, who answered and solved the distress calls of subscribers, and who made our co-op better and better even under the stress of a pandemic. Hopefully our new year will become more “normal” and Oberlin Cable Coop will continue to provide excellent service to the Oberlin community.”
2020 Annual Membership Meeting Cable Co-op will hold its 32nd Annual Membership Meeting virtually on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 7:00 PM. In past years, all members were invited to our office to hear the Board and staff report on the activities of the past fiscal year. This year you are still invited with your computer. We will host a Zoom Webinar for the Board to give their reports and to announce the newly-elected Board members from the ballots that were sent to you in September. If you would like to join the meeting you must pre-register by going to our website (www.oberlin.net) and click on the link named “2020 Annual Meeting Webinar Registration”. You will be asked to fill-in the appropriate information and a confirmation email will be sent to you with the meeting log-in credentials. Please note that only current members of Oberlin Cable Co-op will be authorized to join the meeting. If you have any questions about how to register or have difficulty registering, please do not hesitate to contact our office. To be authorized, you must register by 5:00 PM on Monday, October 12, 2020.
Continuation of Late Fee Moratorium At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Oberlin Cable Co-op suspended the policy of charging a $5.00 late payment fee on members’ accounts to help ease financial burdens. We are going to continue this practice until the end of 2020. At that time, we will re-evaluate and determine if it should be reinstated or not. We greatly appreciate you keeping up with your account, though, as we have bills to pay, too, and our suppliers are not excusing anything.
Big Ten Network Our contract to carry BTN expired on August 31, 2020. This Network is owned by Fox Sports as a Regional Sports Network. The three-year renewal agreement mandated a 20% increase in rates the first year and a 10% increase in each of the following years. It was also at a time when the Big Ten Conference had canceled all sports for this year. To help keep any increases in our rates to a minimum, it was decided not to renew the contract at this time. If things change in the future pertaining to their programming and a more reasonable rate structure, we may be able to carry it in our line-up again. For those of you that are Big Ten fans, they do offer a streaming service you can purchase.
COVID-19 Update Due to the pandemic, we had to make alterations in the way we operate. Our front office was closed for two months, but is now open for you to come in and see us. We ask that you wear a mask and maintain social distancing to help keep yourself and our staff safe. If we visit your home, we will wear masks and use sanitizer. We have been fortunate that none of our staff have become ill; we vigilantly watch for symptoms. There have been many events in our community that have been canceled because of this virus. Sadly, our Annual Santa Visit the day after Thanksgiving will be another. If that changes or if other arrangements are made, we will certainly get the word out.
With the holidays fast approaching, we sincerely wish all our best to you and your families and, as always, appreciate the opportunity to be of service to you! 27 E. College St Oberlin, OH – (440) 775-4001 – www.oberlin.net – www.facebook.com/Cable-Co-op-363407767526903
