02-09-2011, 03:55 AM
I’m the neighbor so thought I would add just a little more detail on this. This is what I learned in my research. I'm sure there may be some inaccuracies but at least we got cable.
Because cable is a monopoly, like the utilities, the cable company has to sign a contract with the municipality it wants to serve, setting out the terms of service. One of them is density. This is so that service is available to all, and the cable company can’t just cherry pick the most profitable neighborhoods. And believe it or not, it isn’t the rich ones. This density requirement varies from place to place but here it is 25 homes per mile. No one has to actually sign up for it but the service has to be available. They did tell me there can be extenuating circumstances which negate the requirement. The cable company has to remain viable so if you are say 30 miles from the nearest poles, I’m guessing you are probably not going to get service. I don’t know exactly how they count the 25 homes per mile but we assumed per mile of cable and Dina counted the homes on the 3 streets closest to the ocean. It took them 6 weeks to get back to us the first time so I’m sure they went out and counted them in their own way.
So inquire with Oceanic. If you are not getting an answer or need an explanation as to why they can’t serve you, contact the email address on the site Aaron listed. Part of the cable commission’s job is to ensure Oceanic is fulfilling the terms of its contract to serve Hawaii county. As Dina said, it took 51 weeks from the time I inquired as to the density requirement in Hawaii county and many follow up calls and emails from us but at least we have cable now. I’m sure there are lots of other neighborhoods that qualify once it is pointed out to Oceanic that they meet the requirement. Good luck.
Because cable is a monopoly, like the utilities, the cable company has to sign a contract with the municipality it wants to serve, setting out the terms of service. One of them is density. This is so that service is available to all, and the cable company can’t just cherry pick the most profitable neighborhoods. And believe it or not, it isn’t the rich ones. This density requirement varies from place to place but here it is 25 homes per mile. No one has to actually sign up for it but the service has to be available. They did tell me there can be extenuating circumstances which negate the requirement. The cable company has to remain viable so if you are say 30 miles from the nearest poles, I’m guessing you are probably not going to get service. I don’t know exactly how they count the 25 homes per mile but we assumed per mile of cable and Dina counted the homes on the 3 streets closest to the ocean. It took them 6 weeks to get back to us the first time so I’m sure they went out and counted them in their own way.
So inquire with Oceanic. If you are not getting an answer or need an explanation as to why they can’t serve you, contact the email address on the site Aaron listed. Part of the cable commission’s job is to ensure Oceanic is fulfilling the terms of its contract to serve Hawaii county. As Dina said, it took 51 weeks from the time I inquired as to the density requirement in Hawaii county and many follow up calls and emails from us but at least we have cable now. I’m sure there are lots of other neighborhoods that qualify once it is pointed out to Oceanic that they meet the requirement. Good luck.