Lakeland Local
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Pole Snow Job II
Posted: 31 Jan 2008 12:46 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/226315181/pole-snow-job-ii.html
I was asked this evening if the Pole Attachment Fee story wasn't old news. It is in a way, the controversy first erupted in September. You might want to read Lonnie Brown's humorous take to get a sense of the story.
It isn't even Bright House's first Pole Attachment Fee problem with a local electric company. In April 2006, Tampa Electric sued Bright House over the fees. In September 2007 Bright House complained about the fee structure to the Federal Communication Commission.
There is actually a FCC formula for that covers setting annual rates for pole attachments, providing the cable company doesn't provide telecommunications services:
Maximum rate = space factor x net cost of bare pole x carrying charge rate
The space factor is the space consumed by the attachment, out of total usable space on a pole. Generally speaking, a pole is 37.5 feet high, the amount of usable space is 13.5 feet and the amount of space allowed for the attachment is one foot. That means the “space factor” is one foot out of 13.5 feet, or 7.41 percent of that portion of the pole that can generate revenue.
Or, as telecommunications attorney Paul Glist this pencils it out, that means the space allotted to a cable attachment should cover 7.41% of the cost of a pole.
If, however, a pole user also provides telecommunications services, the formula changes.
The definition of space factor becomes space occupied plus two-thirds of the unusable space, with unusable space divided by the number of companies attaching wires to the pole.
The resulting number is divided by the pole height. --- Multichannel News
I asked Kevin Cook, Director of Communications for the City of Lakeland, for the city's cost for a pole. Cook wrote that the city's cost for a pole and installation is $370. He added that the city arrived at their Pole Attachment Fee using the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) formula to establish pole attachment fees.
Using the FCC formula, and assuming the average pole height, the pole attachment charge would be $26.417 (7.41% * $370.00) per pole. That's $6.717 per pole more than the city calculated using the APPA formula.
The city contends Bright House has not paid certain fees and costs:
Currently Bright House Networks is behind on their License Application fee in the amount of $ 163,768. This fee is based on 40,942 Attachments at $4.00/pole for existing Attachments (as of September 17th, 2007). The License Application and fee were due to the City on December 31, 2007.
In addition, License Fees for FY 2007-2008 are $20.70/pole and have been billed to Bright House Networks but this fee has not been paid.
A License Application is required for new attachments, renewals, modifications, transfers, or requests for relief. Said License Applications are $100 each and in addition to any other License Fees or amounts that may be due.
To date, Lakeland has not received any of the requested permits, applications, or monies due from Bright House per the Ordinance. T&D Engineering informs me that Bright House has not paid any monies for attachments since September, 2007. It is my understanding that Bright House has not requested any type meeting from the City Attorney’s Office or Lakeland Electric to discuss the Ordinance before or after approval of the ordinance. -- Kevin Cook 1/30/08 email
Cook also wrote that Bright House will be in non-compliance if they fail to make a payment by Friday:
Failure by Bright House to make payment of $163,768 by February 1, 2007 will cause Bright House to be in non-compliance per Section 23 of Ordinance 4899 (the “Ordinance’) and subject Bright House to additional charges of $500 plus $1.00 per attachment per day. Lakeland will also begin assessing late charges at the rate of one percent per month on the amount of $ 163,768. In addition, since Bright House has not responded to Lakeland as to whether or not to be billed on a monthly basis, Lakeland can only assume that Bright House owes the City of Lakeland $ 847,499.40 for the FY08 pole attachment fees as laid out in the ordinance. -- Kevin Cook 1/30/08 email
I am sure we'll hear more about this controversy. Cook told me the Ledger also has a story in the works. I expect that Bright House will give the main stream media an answer or two. I look forward to reading the cable company's response.
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A Turning Point?
Posted: 30 Jan 2008 08:00 PM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/226187614/a-turning-point.html
Permit me to step away from Lakeland for a very brief moment. The University of Tampa student public The Minaret, had an editorial I think is appropriate to quote in light of my post about media coverage:
Heath Ledger died this week; so did roughly 100,000 malnourished children in low and middle-income countries.
Ledger's speculated suicide has already received widespread coverage through the international media conglomerates. As for the children, dead without the privilege of being able to choose suicide, little is spoken or written.
If the 100,000 dead children, a conservative estimate according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations, collectively gained as much press coverage as Heath Ledger, then it would be fair to say that the media considered each child's life to be worth 1/100,000th of Heath Ledger's.
But such a comparison cannot be made. Though exact statistics are not yet available, it seems as though Ledger's death will receive at least 100,000 times more coverage than the 100,000 children combined. Less than twelve hours after his death, a Facebook group dedicated to his memory already boasted over 4,000 members. Of the malnourished that died the same week as Ledger, nobody cares.
Though we at The Minaret comprise only an infinitesimally small part of the international media, we still find it soothing to turn the tables. The Minaret would like to publicly proclaim that we could not care less about the death of Heath Ledger. We have no opinions, thoughts or eulogies concerning Ledger's life; frankly, we don't give a damn whether he lived or died.
Of course, the extremely unbalanced discursive arena that The Minaret faces in the deluge of macro-scale media makes it necessary that we cover Heath Ledger's death in order to proclaim it unworthy of coverage. We are aware of the trade off, and have decided that making the point is well worth the cost.
The Minaret continues as they compare the coverage of Anna Nicole Smith and Kurt Vonnegut. Could these potential main stream media journalists be the instruments of change?
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Pole Snow Job?
Posted: 30 Jan 2008 03:46 PM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/226070461/pole-snow-job.html
Every so often, I watch Bright House techs climb the utility pole in the alley. There always seems to be someone with snow, or needing new service, or canceling service.
Like you, I have cable and I have an interest in not wasting money. So I check my bill. You might want to check yours. You'll notice Bright House charges you $1.47 a month for "City of Lakeland Pole Attachment Fee". That's $17.64 a year.
Before September 2007 Bright House was charged a $20.28 per pole fee. That month the City of Lakeland raised the fee to $20.70 for 2008. Bright House immediately started charging customers the $1.47. But, according to the city, Bright House has neither paid what was due for 2007, nor the amount due for 2008.
Let a customer neglect to pay their cable bill for a year and see what happens.
You may ask, why isn't Bright House charging $1.725 per month? (That's the yearly $20.70 divided by 12.) I'd reply, well, that's because they're charging $3.16 per month.
Wait, didn't I say $1.47 a month? That's the new fee. We can be sure that we were already paying the $20.28 a year. It just wasn't a line item. That was $1.69 a month. Add the $1.47 and $1.69 and you get...$3.16.
Bright House attaches to 40,942 poles in Lakeland. That means they owe the city $847,499.40 for 2008. Our next question is: how much do they collect?
There are a reported 60,150 Bright House subscribers whose service is attached to Lakeland poles. That means Bright House collected $1,219,842 in pole attachment fees in 2007. They'll collect that much plus an additional $1,061,046 with the additional $1.47 per month fee. That means $2,280,888 for both fees for the year.
So they owe the city $847,499.40 and they collect $2,280,888.00 That means, um, two, carry the one, uh, Bright House will make $1,433,388.60 profit on pole attachment fees alone! Thats 23.83 a year profit on each and every subscriber.
With that kind of profit, I better get my MTV.
&bull
I called Bright House for their comment. I am still on hold. I'll update when I get an answer.
Meanwhile, I'll anticipate one comment. "We were eating the cost of the poles for 2007. The $1.47 per month is all we charge customers for pole fees."
Well, they'll still make a profit. 60,150 customers at 1.47 per month for 12 months is $1,061,046.00 per year. They owe the city $847,499.40. That is $213,546.60 profit per year.
Press "B" if you consider that gross profit.
Lakeland Local
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Election Coverage
Posted: 30 Jan 2008 02:30 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/225732749/election-coverage.html
Sure, you can read the Ledger or the Tribune to get your Florida Primary coverage, but did you know the Epoch Times also covered the Florida primary? You've never heard of the Times?
The Epoch Times is a privately owned, general-interest newspaper, originally published in Chinese. According to their own statement the founding Epoch Times started publishing to provide what they see as uncensored coverage of events in China and has been in continuous publication since May 2000. Headquartered in New York, the newspaper has local bureau and a wide network of local reporters throughout the world. Currently distributed free-of-charge in roughly 30 countries worldwide, The Epoch Times maintains editions in English and Chinese as well as nine other languages in print, and 17 languages on the web. It is often associated with the Falun Gong spiritual discipline. -- Wikipedia
The Epoch Times had a reporter in Winter Haven doing exit poll interviews:
An Epoch Times reporter interviewed exiting voters outside a polling site in the small town of Winter Haven, where most voters seemed to support Republicans, and for reasons more varied than in other regions. -- Epoch Times
The Epoch Times reporter, James Fish, photographed and quoted Winter Haven residents Ruby Parker, Melvin Parker, Todd Weihmeir, Caroline Hamm, Bruce Hughart, and Kevin Kibbee. Oddly, each person quoted in the story voted Republican. Looking for the results in Precinct 337 (assuming the pictured precinct sign was where Fish was stationed) there were 593 Republican votes compared to 371 for the Democrats. You would think at least one Democrat would have given a good quote.
Lakeland Local
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Lakeland Voters in the News
Posted: 29 Jan 2008 01:14 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/225015144/lakeland-voters-in-the-news.html
Sometimes all it takes is a national election to catch the eye of out-of-town media:
Terisa Glover runs a grocery and gift shop on Kentucky Street.
"I'm worried about the working class, people like us," said Glover, 40, who tends this shop each day "from dark to dark" but is unable to purchase a home and cannot afford health insurance.
"I'm looking for someone who will put their money where their mouth is, and not just talk about it," said Glover, leaning toward McCain with her vote. "I'd rather have someone be straight up and say, 'I don't have all the answers.'" -- Chicago Tribune
At a McCain rally at the Fantasy of Flight Museum in Polk City, voters who were thrilled to see Giuliani here recently didn't even discuss him as a contender.
"I think he's done," said Chris McLaughlin, a Realtor from Lakeland who is now deciding between McCain and Mitt Romney.
The Giuliani camp dismisses that prediction, saying their emphasis on early voting could turn the race in their favor. Some 400,000 early votes are already cast, but the results of that balloting won't be known until tomorrow. -- Newsday
Thanks to The Ledger for keeping their archives free.
Lakeland Local
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Lakeland Florida Crime Map - 01/14 to 01/20
Posted: 28 Jan 2008 01:28 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/224369528/lakeland-florida-crime-map-01-14-08.html
It was a slow week for Lakeland Local, but not Lakeland crime: Lakeland Florida Crime Map - 01/14 to 01/20
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Is the Ledger a Conservative Bastion?
Posted: 27 Jan 2008 11:33 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/224038856/is-the-ledger-conservative.html
In a new report from Media Matters, syndicated columnist reach was studied. The organization contacted 1377 US English-language daily newspapers to find which columnists were published on their op-ed pages. They listed each columnist as conservative, centrist, or progressive. Of course, they contacted the Ledger:
Regular Columnists:
Cal Thomas, Conservative
David Brooks, Conservative
James J. Kilpatrick, Conservative
James P. Pinkerton, Conservative
Kathleen Parker, Conservative
Andres Oppenheimer, Centrist
David S. Broder, Centrist
Ellen Goodman, Progressive
Nicholas D. Kristof, Progressive
That list places the Ledger in the group of "conservative" newspapers. Do you think that's a fair assessment?
I found one paragraph of the report very interesting in light of the previous post:
Furthermore, newspapers are the preferred news medium of those most interested in the news. According to a 2006 Pew Research Center study, 66 percent of those who say they follow political news closely regularly read newspapers, far more than the number who cite any other medium.4 And an almost identical proportion of those who say they "enjoy keeping up with the news" -- more than half the population -- turn to newspapers more than any other medium. These more aware citizens are in turn more likely to influence the opinions of their families, friends, and associates. -- Media Matters
Further proof that newspapers still matter and the Ledger's coverage choices do make a difference in the local political and social climates.
Lakeland Local
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A Perspective that Matters
Posted: 24 Jan 2008 11:30 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/222345633/a-perspective-that-matters.html
Barry Friedman, the "Managing Editor/digital" for the newspaper formerly known as the Lakeland Ledger, last night asked of his readers, "Do we cover too much from one side of the county or the other? What should we cover in your home town that we're not covering currently?"
Now, I read my hometown newspaper every day, and I've got an opinion or two. Plus, Barry mentioned me by name, so I'll throw my two cents in his general direction.
Dear Barry,
First, thanks for asking. Readers always love to be involved in the newspaper coverage process. I hope you get dozens of responses. I'll bet the short answer to almost every response will be "cover more of my town and less of their town." They will all be correct. The Ledger does feature far too little (insert your favorite map direction here) Polk coverage. We're talking about a county the size of a state. The Ledger doesn't have the news hole to cover the whole county; unless the advertising department is selling more ads than they were this morning. (That isn't a swipe at the ad crew. I am sure they're selling all they can in this current climate.)
What's a new Editor to do? The local newspaper is still trying to be the reporter of record. That was true when I fell in love with newspapers. But I am old. Maybe it is time to try another model. Free room in the paper for what matters most to local residents -- local news.
I have a safe idea to open some room: forget the latest celebrity gossip. It was on 10 channels, 14 Web sites, and numerous discussion boards long before the Ledger placed it above the masthead. Unless the celebrity is from Polk County, lived in Polk County, or was arrested in Polk County, and you can spin a Polk County angle...let the paparazzi and celeb sites handle the news.
I also have a radical idea to open additional news holes: Drop the international news. It is old news before the Ledger prints it on dead trees. We no longer get all our news from paper. The International press has reported it; the talking heads have discussed it; the documentary channels have dissected it; the Ledger is just reprinting the news wire, and New York Times reports.
What about the national news? It is a maxim that "all news is local." In the 21st century we can usually read the local report of every event. A bridge falls in Minnesota and we can get much better detail from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Our Polk County paper simply can't cover such events. Now, I know some national news, especially from D.C., will have local angles. Our paper would simply lead with that angle.
That still leaves a place where a Polk County paper can compete. Imagine if every story was local? There would be room for all the East Polk news, West Polk coverage, rural concerns and urban interests.
You mentioned that I think the Ledger needs to "focus more on Lakeland." Yes, but not exactly as that sentence would lead you to believe. Not too long ago, my local news box was filled with some odd East Polk edition of the Ledger. I found the stories interesting. They even get a comic or two I don't see in my edition.
Here's where I think the Ledger can shine. Separate the sections into East Polk, West Polk, State, Sports, Human Interest, and Classifieds. Give us all the same edition of the newspaper. Don't fall into the middle of the East vs. West Polk news coverage debate. Maybe we'd learn why we have differences instead of blindly complaining about "the other side."
Pump life back into the columns. The columnists are your home run hitters. They have a local angle we can't get from any other news source.
What about those without the news channels and access to the Internet? If it is a matter of choice, then they have chosen to pull back from the news. If it is a matter of expense, then they can discover the joy of the local public library. It was my lifeline to the world for many many years.
Looking at the Ledger's website you'll see the international and celebrity news is downplayed under the local and state news. Maybe it is time the print edition follows that model?
Yours in local coverage,
Chuck
PS:
Let me explain. Chuck Welch, who authors the LakelandLocal blog, often teases The Ledger for not including Lakeland in our name. (I corrected him once when he called us The Lakeland Ledger, so he takes great delight in pointing out every time he hears somebody using that name.) -- A Matter of Perspective
I must mention that this name of this blog is Lakeland Local. Please note the space.
Lakeland Local
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Looking Elsewhere
Posted: 23 Jan 2008 11:45 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/221713044/looking-elsewhere.html
I'm worn out from getting my daughter ready for school this morning, so I'm taking a couple of days off. Here are some links you'll want to check out:
Darby has the information on this weekend's Lakeland Pig Festival
The Pics on the Promenade series gets love from Lorrie and Cat
CSX is in the news today. CSX Rail Liability Deal Spurs Debate and Transit Commissioner's Role Questioned In CSX Deal
It looks like it is time to update the Red Light Camera posts. Red-Light Cameras Catching On Across U.S.
It's not often you can point to when the troubles begin. Someday, Steve will.
I think we need a running graph to track A Modest Wager On Dow 16,000
Lakeland Local
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Lakeland Florida Crime Map - 01/07 to 01/13
Posted: 21 Jan 2008 11:48 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/220447225/lakeland-florida-crime-map-01-07-08.html
There's crime afoot in Lakeland, and we have the full page map: Lakeland Florida Crime Map - 01/07 to 01/13
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Video: J. Seward Johnson
Posted: 21 Jan 2008 10:33 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/220400387/video-j-seward-johnson.html
Videographer Darby from DarbySea is back. This time she presents us with a video on the J. Seward Johnson collection.
Lakeland Local
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Subscribe to Lakeland Local
Posted: 20 Jan 2008 09:46 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/219855687/subscribe-to-lakeland-local.html
Sure, I love it when you enter that simple URL ( lakelandlocal.com ) in your browser to come see what's going on in Lakeland. That's why I worked so hard on the new design. However, I understand it is a busy world and you're a busy person. That's why we offer two other methods to get all the news, maps, and general information that is Lakeland Local.
For those who love feed readers:
Subscribe in a reader
If email is your favorite method of getting our local news:
Enter your email address:
Delivered by FeedBurner
I bet there are even a few fans of the Google Homepage or Google Reader method:
Lakeland Local
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Orange Heights and CSX
Posted: 19 Jan 2008 11:30 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/219435138/orange-heights-and-csx.html
Caution: Commentary and sarcasm ahead.
In the latest Gainesville Sun you can find a telling comment or two:
The $491 million project, which would add commuter trains to a 61.5-mile stretch of CSX rail line in the Orlando area, would route roughly eight or nine freight trains per day from that rail line onto the CSX line that cuts through Hawthorne, Waldo and other parts of eastern Alachua County, said Fred Wise, manager of the FDOT's Rail Office. To help accommodate the expected increase in train delays, the FDOT is planning to build an overpass on SR 26 near Orange Heights sometime in 2010, when the increased freight traffic is expected, Wise said. Gaineseville.com
"Eight or nine trains" per day. If Lakeland is getting only "four or five" then could someone show me where the other four or five are getting off the line? I'm serious. I'm sure there's a spot on that winding rail map I missed.
The FDOT is building an overpass on SR 26. Orange Heights has a population of, well, you know I can't find population figures for Orange Heights. Look up the numbers and you're usually referred to nearby Hawthorne with a population of 1415. Looking at a Google map of Orange Heights only shows about five or six streets.
I'm sure Orange Heights is a great town, but what kind of traffic do they have on SR 26 to warrant an overpass?
Wise continued his work to help the citizens affected by the increase in traffic:
Wise said FDOT employees also have met with officials in Starke to improve signals at rail crossings and make other safety-related changes.
"The goal is to mitigate the impacts of this to make sure there's a smooth transition to the increase in freight traffic," Wise said. -- Gaineseville.com
Stake Florida, population 5,769, will have a "smooth transition to the increase in freight traffic."
I am sure all the citizens of Lakeland, Florida, population 89,108, can applaud the FDOT for ensuring the continued vitality of our smaller cities.
While doing a little research on Orange Heights, I found an interesting paragraph:
Initial construction was not easy because not everyone wanted the railroads. Mrs. Laughinhouse-Stephens told how some settlers met the railroad track layers with shotguns. Her father, who was the railroad track foreman in charge of getting the tracks through the towns, said that the law was if the tracks were laid and the trains passed over them, then the tracks were secure and could not be taken out again. The crews often finished laying track during the night; the train ran early in the morning, and the land owners woke to find the deed done. -- Hawthorne Florida History
I will offer no additional comment to that.
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UK Pilot Requests Advice
Posted: 19 Jan 2008 10:41 AM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/219425321/uk-pilot-requests-advice.html
I am a UK citizen and I hold a CAA (JAA) ATPL and IR and I have about 14,000 hours as PIC. I also hold an FAA PPL (SEP/MEP) based on my CAA licence. But I now wish to gain a type rating for flying a private Citation on the N-register in Europe. So my intention is to complete the FAA CPL and IR theory tests in UK, and then travel to Florida (in early April) to do the necessary pre-test famil/training before taking the CPL and IR flight tests on an MEP (the Citation bit will come later).
I am looking for advice on where I might be able to do this, ideally somewhere near Lakeland so that I will also be able to visit Sun'n'Fun! -- Terry E.
If you have any advice for Terry, please comment here or answer his post at Rising Up Aviation.
Lakeland Local
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Winner's Circle Rock Show Tomorrow
Posted: 18 Jan 2008 02:16 PM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/218997550/winners-circle-rock-show-jan-19.html
Saturday night the Winner's Circle Sports Bar will host a slate of area bands.
The advertised line up is: Semi-Soul, funkUs, Gargamel, and White Hot Snap Shot.
Standard Myspace warning: We're not responsible for any embedded music links that blast in your office. Leave your sense of layout, design, and decorum at the door.
The "all ages" Winner's Circle Sports Bar is at 1021 S Florida. That lovely road is currently in the midst of extensive work, so arrive early to find a way into the club.
Thanks to clintexhero for posting the news.
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LPD K-9 Bite
Posted: 18 Jan 2008 12:06 PM CST
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/218946443/lpd-k9-bite.html
Lakeland Police reported today that during a landlord tenant dispute a K-9 bit a 14 year-old girl. The incident at 1440 1/2 N Lincoln Ave was described in a LPD press release.
K-9 Officer Ted Sealey was present on the scene and speaking to a citizen when the citizen gestured and made contact with Officer Sealey's uniform shirt pocket. Officer Sealey keeps his canine deployment device in this pocket. The deployment device allows the vehicle door to automatically open to deploy the K-9. The citizen contact caused the deployment door to activate and Officer Sealey's K-9 partner was released from the police vehicle. The K=9, Bodo, instinctively reacted as trained to protect Officer Sealey and bit a 14 year old girl who was standing next to Officer Sealey.
As the time of the press release, the girl was at Lakeland Regional Medical Center being treated for minor injuries.
