SusCom-NESN reach agreement

[Dan Billings <billingsdan@yahoo.com>]

The Portland Press Herald reports today that SusCom
has reached an agreement with NESN to continue to
provide the sports channel to Suscom's cable
subscribers in the Bath-Brunswick, Maine area through
2007.  Earlier this year, SusCom had threatened to
drop NESN because of what SusCom called an
"exorbitant" programming fee.  SusCom surveyed its
20,000 subscribers and found widespread support for
retaining NESN.  SusCom had told subscribers that
retaining NESN would result in a 9 percent rate
increase, while rates would increase by 3 percent if
the channel was dropped.  SusCom now says that the new
agreement with NESN will mean a rate increase of less
than 9 percent.

SusCom is still negotiating with WCSH to continue to
carry the NBC affiliate.  Both sides told newspapers
last week that they expected an agreement to be
reached before the December 31st deadline.

-- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine

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