Cable television provider Altice has agreed to return the Wilton public government and education channels to their original positions on Optimum at Channels 78 and 79 effective, Tuesday, Sept. 16.
After receiving multiple notices from the Area 9 Cable Council and area legislators admonishing Altice’s plan to move these channels to an upper tier, the company reversed its decision. In a letter to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Altice stated its decision to return the channels after receiving feedback from local municipalities and other stakeholders.
“This is a big win for Wilton residents,” Jeff Boehme, Wilton’s representative on the Area 9 Cable Council, said. “Our government and education channels will soon continue to be available on 79 and 79 with Optimum’s lineup. Viewers will not be subjected to searching through the 1,300 channels attempting to find their unique local content.”
The move would have impacted the 10 municipalities that comprise the Area 9 Cable Council, a state mandated governmental body with appointed volunteer representatives from Wilton as well as Darien, Easton, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Redding, Stamford, Weston and Westport.
A letter to Altice from Sen. Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and signed by Wilton’s State Sen. Ceci Maher and State Rep. Savet Constantine, as well as legislators from the other nine municipalities, argued that the decision to move the channels was made without consulting the towns or the Area 9 Cable Council would reduce resident engagement and participation in local civic affairs, among other reasons.