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RICE TWP. — Service Electric Cable TV & Communications has a renewed franchise in the township as of Tuesday’s supervisors meeting, allowing the company to maintain a cable television system in the township.
Avi Sikenpore, a resident of the township, frustrated about his Internet speeds, questioned “why no national companies come in (to the township).”
In 2001, the township granted a 15-year franchise to Service Electric. According to the non-exlusive ordinance passed by the board of supervisors, the contract will now be renewed for 10 years, ending April 10, 2026.
According to township secretary Alicia Stier, the township also has service from DirecTv, Dish Network, Frontier, Metrocast and “some areas of Verizon.”
“We’re not stopping anyone,” said Marcia Thomas, chairwoman of the board of supervisors.
Sikenpore called his Internet speed “sluggish,” especially when streaming movies.
“I don’t use the wifi at my house,” he said, “(Using phone data) is faster.”
Thomas explained MetroCast services the south and west portion of the township while Service Electric services the north and east.
“It’s the way the state carved it (when cable first came out),” Thomas said at the meeting. “It’d be great to have competition.”
Larry Shewack, manager of Service Electric, said the company has a 50 homes per mile clause. It costs $40,000 a mile to run a cable and, without the directive, laying cable in an area would not be “feasible.”
“If the homes are there, we will run cable,” Shewack said, noting if the company doesn’t get the residents to subscribe, “that’s our problem.”
Joan Zelnick, assistant manager at Service Electric, said the company has 273 subscribers in Rice Township.
The 2010, U.S. Census showed the township had 3,335 residents. County property records show the township now has 1,232 residential properties.
“They (Rice Township) have some rural areas and, if they’re far out, we don’t have to service,” Shewack said.
Under the agreement, Service Electric pays a franchise fee of 3 percent of “gross revenues” — fees collected from the use of service, not including debts — from operation of the service to the township four times a year: May, August, November and February.