Washington (December 13, 2013) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Richard Neal (D-Springfield) sent a letter today to Time Warner Cable urging it to keep New England Cable News (NECN) in its service in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts. Time Warner announced this week that it would drop NECN by the end of this month for all Berkshire County subscribers as well as customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.  NECN is Berkshire County’s only source for 24-hour news about the Commonwealth and New England.

 

“Without NECN, Berkshires communities will be severed from other parts of the Commonwealth and be left without access to a wide range of important information about Massachusetts and New England,” write the lawmakers to Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt. 

 

Text of the letter is below. 

 

December 13, 2013

 

 

Mr. Glenn A. Britt
Chief Executive Officer
Time Warner Cable
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY 10019

 

Dear Mr. Britt: 

 

We write to you out of concern over the recent announcement that Time Warner Cable (TWC) will be dropping New England Cable News (NECN) from its service in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts.  Given that NECN is the only 24-hour source of televised regional news and sports coverage available to Massachusetts residents, we strongly support maintaining NECN’s availability for TWC subscribers in the Berkshires. 

 

NECN is based in Newton, Massachusetts, but the regional news and sports programming it provides are of great importance to residents across all Massachusetts and New England.  Whether it is local government developments on Beacon Hill or latest from the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, or Bruins, NECN matters to the people of the Berkshires.  Without NECN, Berkshires communities will be severed from other parts of the Commonwealth and be left without access to a wide range of important information about Massachusetts and New England.

 

While we understand that TWC has to consider numerous factors in determining its channel offerings to consumers, we urge you to revisit and reverse TWC’s decision to drop carriage of NECN.  We appreciate your attention to this important matter.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Edward J. Markey                   Elizabeth A. Warren                            Richard E. Neal

U.S. Senator                            U.S. Senator                                        U.S. Representative