Simpson Residence finally got cable service after a three-month-long battle with Comcast.
This may lead Hillsdale to reconsider their contract with Comcast, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé. The story of the Comcast-Simpson conflict began in June, when Péwé decided to improve the cable system, which had previously been strung through a window.
Péwé’s team decided to take action and removed all prior cables and restrung them through a conduit to disguise them. Once the college’s team put this in place, Péwé contacted Comcast to complete the job.
Three months after Péwé made his initial request, Comcast had failed to make any progress on completing the cable situation. They also charged the college $11,000 for their services. Péwé discussed this problem with the company and the high cost was waived.
After calling Comcast headquarters and receiving no answer, an engineer finally looked over the dormitory and said they would begin the process by putting a different conduit underground for cable access.
To achieve this, the city of Hillsdale requires a Miss Dig, a precaution to prevent construction from digging underground and potentially hitting a pipeline or other important systems.
As Comcast waited for the completed Miss Dig, and move-in day approached, Péwé said he told Comcast he would tally the company’s neglectfulness to ensure that they pay for their mistakes.
“They are a big company with poor service,” Péwé said.
Because the bulk bill agreement with the company ends this year, Hillsdale is looking into possible alternatives to dealing with Comcast.
The cable began working on Sunday, according to Simpson’s Head Resident Assistant Andy Reuss.
“We burst into tears, we were so excited,” he said.
Before the cable was repaired, freshmen Simpson residents Evan Tandy, Jared Schipper, and Lane White stated asked RA Hank White every day since move-in when the cable would be back in place.
They said they enjoy TV because, as student athletes, it’s nice to sit back and not have to be active all the time.
The alternative was streaming TV shows and movies through their computers.
“We [were] just really sick of not having cable, but thank God for Netflix,” Lane said.
Reuss said with the cable working, Simpson men can now enjoy each other’s company in the common areas.
“First thing, we put on Sports Center,” Reuss said.
