Altice Changes LI Government Channels Back to 22

Altice, the company that operates the Optimum cable service on Long Island, has reversed its decision to bump local government access channels from 22 to 1301 after outcry from local officials.

Altice executives said they believed moving the Public, Education & Government channel would benefit viewers but undid the channel change about a week after it went into effect.

“The company received feedback from local municipalities and other stakeholders who expressed concerns regarding the changes,” Chris Bresnan, vice president of government affairs for Altice, wrote in a letter to the New York State Public Service Commission. “After careful consideration of this input, while Optimum continues to believe that the changes would have provided benefits to customers, the company has decided to return PEG channels to their prior channel positions, on or about September 16.”

The channel is where viewers find local programming such as video footage of their town board meetings.

“Why anyone would think the change would make it ‘easier or a better user experience’ is puzzling to us,” Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico said in response to the initial move.

“The company will continue to review its channel lineups on an ongoing basis to ensure that lineups are managed in a way that balances customer needs, operational considerations, and the evolving programming landscape, and may revisit channel positioning at a future date,” Bresnan added.