New General Manager Alan Hall meets the board. (David Boraks photo)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

MOORESVILLE – MI-Connection Communications System said Thursday its financial results for the first quarter of the 2009-10 fiscal year were slightly behind budget, but the business is continuing to grow since completion of a system upgrade last spring.

Meanwhile, at a board meeting in Mooresville, MI-Connection also introduced a new general manager, cable industry veteran Alan Hall, who started work Oct. 1. Read the full story

The Board of Directors of the MI-Connection Communications System will meet Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 a.m. at the system’s headquarters, 420 S. Academy St., Mooresville. The agenda includes an introduction of two new board members and the latest financial and operations reports.  Read the full story

A national trade association that represents municipal cable and communications systems has named MI-Connection as its 2009 Community Broadband Project of the Year. In announcing the award, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors cited the towns because they “refused to accept sub-standard broadband and cable service and decided to deliver better quality themselves.” Read the full story

Mayor John Woods says he was “favorably impressed” with what he saw and heard Thursday during a visit to the Bristol, Va., offices of the company hired to manage the MI-Connection cable TV and internet system. The mayor said the system, which is owned by the towns of Davidson and Mooresville, is “very, very sound.” Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson commissioners and Town Manager Leamon Brice will take a road trip to Bristol, Va., Thursday for meetings with officials from BVU Focus, the company hired to run the town-owned MI-Connection cable TV and internet system. Mr. Brice said it would be the first trip of its kind for Davidson officials since Davidson and Mooresville acquired the system in December 2007. It comes as town officials seek a clearer picture of MI-Connection’s performance and prospects. Read the full story

When Davidson and Mooresville were preparing to buy the local cable TV system two years ago, they pledged not to raise rates for 12 months. The system has stuck to that promise, effectively freezing rates at 2006 levels. Now, 18 months after the deal that created MI-Connection, a rate increase is on the way.

See a chart of the new rates below.

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The MI-Connection cable system quietly celebrated a big milestone Thursday – completion of a $22.5 million system upgrade that has allowed it to add and improve services. With new equipment and increased network capacity now in place, officials are hoping their package of video, internet and telephone services will help hold onto existing customers and attract new ones. The system has 5 percent fewer customers than when Davidson and Mooresville bought it in December 2007. Read the full story

Updated Monday, April 13, 2009, 2 p.m.
Updated Thursday, April 8, 2009, 6 p.m.

The chairman of the MI-Connection cable system board said Thursday he plans to write a letter to state legislators opposing a bill he says would hinder MI-Connection’s ability to compete. The so-called Level Playing Field bill, pushed by the state’s private cable TV companies, is an attempt “to make it impossible for us to do business,” chairman Evan Webster said.

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