Upgrade of cable TV to cause service interruptions

By Lori Porter Acorn Staff Writer

Adelphia Communications is modernizing its cable service, but the improvements will cause temporary service interruptions.

Officials with Adelphia recently announced that the company will soon begin upgrading its Oak Park cable system, which will affect TV and Internet services for Westlake Village, Agoura Hills and Oak Park.

Adelphia will install a fiber optic system, including new power supply units, updated cables, new electronics, and updated pedestals and vaults to house the hardware. The new system will give Adelphia subscribers much higher speed with Internet access.

In a recent telephone interview, Shawn Riggs, area construction manager for Adelphia, said, "We hope to begin the installation process by the end of this month." The installation should be complete, he said, by March.

Adelphia’s installation of high speed Internet access and high definition TV began about two years ago in Calabasas with the introduction of high speed modems.

For those who like specifics, the Oak Park upgrade translates into a conversion of 860 megahertz compared to the current 550 megahertz which will enable high speed modem time connections and the time needed for downloads. In addition, the upgrades will pave the way for Adelphia to provide high definition TV (HDTV) and video on demand (VOD) in the near future.

During the process, construction which will require contractors to dig into streets so that new conduit and cables can be installed. Adelphia promises that construction sites will be restored to their original condition.

The upgrades will cause unavoidable service interruptions, but officials promised that Adelphia will try to keep outages limited to small areas and not during prime time. Cable service, they said, would be restored immediately upon completion of that day’s work.

The improvements are in response to numerous calls from customers and franchising authorities. Consumers and communities were demanding new and improved services and Adelphia decided to accommodate them, officials said.

Riggs said customers in many areas will soon have additional digital and analog channels, as well as high speed cable modems for Internet access, and eventually HDTV and VOD.