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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us December 22, 2004 AFN rate hike gets thumbs up By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland Fiber Network will raise its Internet and cable television rates beginning in January. On Tuesday night, the Ashland City Council unanimously approved a $3 per month residential Internet rate increase and $3.50 business Internet rate hike, along with increases to cable television packages ranging from 5 to 9 percent. The changes will appear on customers' February bills. Internet customers may see an increase of as much as $6 per month as Internet Service Providers that offer AFN's wholesale products raise their rates in response, according to city of Ashland staff. Despite the increase, prices in Ashland for many services will remain lower than in other Rogue Valley communities where government-run entities are not competing with businesses. "We still have a good value here," said City Administrator Gino Grimaldi. "If you go outside Ashland, people can pay as much as $10 more for cable television. We're still below the regional market and we're definitely below the national market." Both AFN and the national company Charter Communications are charging about $10 less per month for popular cable television packages in Ashland than Charter charges in the neighboring town of Talent. AFN is raising rates to pay for increased staff and rising costs for cable television programming, employee health insurance, equipment and other items, according to Dick Wanderscheid, head of AFN and the city of Ashland's electric department. AFN also must set aside money to pay its debts. The city refinanced $15.5 million of AFN debt in July and must make a debt payment of $802,021 in July of 2005. The debt was accrued during the build-out of AFN's infrastructure and also to cover some operational expenses, said City Finance Director Lee Tuneberg. Revenues fell short in the first quarter of the fiscal year, which began in July, and must increase in order to make the payment, according to the most recent AFN Quarterly Report. The rate increase will net an extra $208,000, Wanderscheid said. That increase is the fourth since AFN began operations in 2000. Any subsequent rate hikes probably will be only to cover the costs of inflation, he said. Mayor Alan DeBoer said all residents should choose AFN because of the many benefits to customers and the city. He said borrowing, not tax dollars, was used to fund the venture, and eventually AFN will begin making enough money to pay for itself. "I urge people to sign up or renew. At some point, this is going to be an excellent asset," he said. In other business that night, more than 50 community members crowded into the Ashland Civic Center lobby to thank and bid farewell to DeBoer and long-time Councilor Don Laws before the start of their last council meeting. Ashland's new mayor and incoming councilors will take office in January. The council also recognized retiring Ashland Police Department Detective Steve Brown, agreed tree owners should be able to remove their trees from the proposed Heritage Tree list by written request and directed city staff and the planning commission to look at possible changes to the city's sign regulations that could allow more signs on businesses. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's Slippers men's slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Memory Foam Mattress college loans alternative student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation trillion cut diamonds Currancy Exchange Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams