tl;dr Version

Comcast/Xfinity (jointly referred to hereinafter as Comcast) has exploited its near-monopoly in Maplewood, failing to honor commitments and violating the Franchise Agreement with the City as well as individual service agreements and retention offers. Despite repeated pleas for intervention, the City has not acted to protect its residents from Comcast's disregard for consumer rights and regulations. It's time for Maplewood to take decisive action and hold Comcast accountable to the residents it is obligated to serve.

Background

Comcast's pattern of broken promises and deception is well-documented. One is hard-pressed to find a former or current Comcast customer who has not had at least one negative customer service experience. Furthermore, Comcast has a history of consistently failing to honor retention offers and regularly violating terms of service and state/federal regulations. This non-compliance undermines consumer confidence in a critical utility and raises questions about Comcast's commitment to legal and contractual obligations.

Furthermore, residents frequently experience subpar internet services, with actual speeds far below what is provisioned, disrupting daily life and business across the City.

The Need for Urgent Action

The 2019 Franchise Agreement between the City of Maplewood and Comcast obligates Comcast to maintain specific service standards and community accountability. Furthermore, the Agreement specifies particular actions the City can take when a default is established, particularly a default by fraud (§11.1c). However, the City has failed to effectively oversee and enforce the Agreement, leaving residents with little recourse against Comcast's monopolistic practices.

We are not alone. National surveys, such as those conducted by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), consistently rank Comcast among the worst performers in its industry, highlighting the widespread dissatisfaction with its services. However, the City's lack of regulatory oversight has, in part, allowed these issues to fester and escalate, unchecked and unresolved.

Our Demands

Public Review Session: We demand that the City of Maplewood hold a public hearing, as stipulated under §2.6 of the Franchise Agreement, to rigorously scrutinize the terms and enforcement of that agreement. As further allowed in the Agreement, the public review session should focus on examining micro-level resolutions for complaints filed with Comcast to ensure Comcast's actions are consistent with the terms of the Franchise Agreement, state and federal law, and the covenant of good faith and fair dealing that is implicit in all agreements. 

Transparency in Proceedings: Save redaction of individual names and addresses, all findings from this review must also be made publicly available, fostering transparency and encouraging community involvement in holding Comcast responsible for its actions. 

Clear Compliance Metrics: While perhaps not enforceable in the current Agreement, we demand that the City of Maplewood develop clear, quantifiable compliance metrics that Comcast must meet in future contracts, ensuring alignment with the spirit of the Franchise Agreement, the essential nature of internet services, and consumer expectations. 

Enhanced Consumer Protection: Likewise, we demand the City of Maplewood implement more robust consumer protection measures that provide real recourse for residents when Comcast fails to meet agreed-upon service standards or contractual agreements, leveraging the full extent of the City's regulatory authority.

Conclusion

Maplewood residents deserve reliable, high-quality internet and cable services, as Comcast routinely promises. By signing this petition, you stand against Comcast's monopolistic practices, demanding accountability, transparency, and better service quality. Together, we can ensure that our community receives the fair treatment and quality services it deserves, free from the exploitative grip of a corporate giant that has taken advantage of its dominant market position for far too long.