SHREWSBURY – Spectrum will not be entering Shrewsbury.
In an email to Town Manager Kevin Mizikar dated July 26 provided to the Community Advocate, Spectrum Northeast (Charter) formally withdrew the company’s bid to provide cable services in Shrewsbury.
“After careful consideration and thorough evaluation of our business strategies and objectives, we have decided to explore other opportunities that align more closely with our long-term goals,” the email reads. “This decision was not made lightly, and we appreciate the consideration extended to us by the town’s administration and its residents.”
Spectrum’s interest in entering the Shrewsbury market was first reported in October. The company had hoped to install a fiber-to-home network throughout town.
The decision to withdraw the application comes after representatives from Spectrum “no-showed” at a recent Select Board meeting.
After meeting with Spectrum on May 28, the Select Board on July 23 was set to ask follow-up questions and get additional information about the company’s cable bid. Representatives never arrived at the meeting.
The Select Board was originally set to re-engage with Spectrum in early June, but Spectrum had asked for more time, and the July 23 meeting was subsequently chosen. Mizikar indicated that the town attorney had notified Spectrum of the July 23 meeting on June 11.
The Community Advocate reached out to Spectrum for comment via email.
Select Board members expressed disappointment that nobody from Spectrum was able to field questions.
Select Board Chair John Samia entered into the record 16 questions he had planned to ask at the meeting. Mizikar came into the meeting with 22 questions for Spectrum. Each of the other members of the Select Board – with Theresa Flynn absent – said they also had several questions they had hoped to ask.
Spectrum had also offered to provide certain documents — like a customer survey — in response to questions asked at the May 28 meeting. The Select Board had not yet received that information, Samia said.
“Those were answers we were hoping to get, but those are questions that will remain unanswered,” Samia said. “We just don’t have an opportunity for additional feedback from the applicant.”
Spectrum representatives didn’t show, but Shrewsbury Electric & Cable Operations (SELCO) — the town-owned, nonprofit company that would have become Spectrum’s direct competition — was well represented. Company representatives used the public hearing on July 23 to make SELCO’s case. The Select Board had received dozens of letters regarding the Spectrum-SELCO debate, with the vast majority seeming to favor SELCO. The Select Board has commented on how SELCO seems to be popular among community members.
“SELCO is beloved in our community. It’s not just they keep the lights on and TV going; people in Shrewsbury love SELCO, and that’s really hard to beat,” Select Board member Michelle Conlin said May 28, voicing the opinion of two Shrewsbury residents who spoke to her.
Disclaimer: SELCO advertises with the Community Advocate newspaper.
