State orders Spectrum to delay all-digital transition

State regulators Thursday ordered Spectrum Cable to delay rolling out its all-­digital cable system on Oahu because of inaccurate information on its notice to subscribers.

Catherine P. Awakuni Colon, director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, sent a letter to Spectrum saying that subscribers who were scheduled to be switched to all-digital starting Tuesday cannot be until 30 days after they receive an updated and accurate notice.

The original subscriber notice apparently erred in describing the company’s basic digital transport adapters — or digital converter boxes — as being capable of accessing only channels from 2 to 99.

The statement could not be true because the company plans to move the state’s public-access, educational and governmental (PEG) channels from channels 49-54 to 182-187.

Access to those public-­access channels is required by Hawaii’s cable franchise agreements for even the most inexpensive and basic channel packages.

The move to relocate the public-access channels as part of the company’s move to upgrade its system to all-digital has sparked controversy, with Olelo Community Media and its local programming producers crying foul and arguing they will lose viewership.

In her letter to Oceanic Time Warner Cable, also known as Spectrum, Colon said the DCCA continues to have serious concerns about the plan to move the public-access channels, the timing and other impacts such a move would have on communities in Hawaii.

“DCCA will continue to explore this matter and appreciates (Spectrum’s) willingness to participate in these discussions,” Colon said.

The DCCA Cable Advisory Committee will hold a meeting at 5 p.m. today to let critics of the “channel slamming” express their objections and allow Spectrum to explain itself. The meeting will be in the first-floor DCCA Queen Lili‘uokalani Conference Room, 335 Merchant St.

Spectrum’s digital transition, required by DCCA when it approved the transfer of Oceanic’s franchises to Charter Communications, parent company of Spectrum, was expected to begin Tuesday and be completed around the first week of June, followed by the transition on the neighbor islands.

Spectrum could not be reached for comment.

Previously, company officials said the upgrade will offer better picture quality, 70 more channels, faster internet speeds, additional content and new features. They also said the public-­access channels will be easier to find using a digital guide and search function.