The

transfer of Peachtree City's cable television franchise

should be to the city's advantage, and it hopefully will

lead to much better Internet service before too long,

according to a report given at last week's City Council

meeting.

InterMedia

Partners is preparing to transfer control of the

franchise to TCI South Carolina, an affiliate of AT&T

Corp. The city has received written assurances from

AT&T that they will comply with all technical and

customer service requirements of the current franchise.

This change

is a "move up," according to city manager Jim

Basinger, who added that it will be in the long-term best

interests of Peachtree City residents.

The city

has requested that AT&T provide a timetable for

upgrading the system to being offering high-speed

Internet access utilizing cable modems. City staff said

that residents have already begun expressing a desire for

this service.

An AT&T

representative has assured the city that the company is

eager to provide the service, but cannot specifically say

when it will happen, although it is likely to come before

the end of 2000, according to city staff reports.

City staff

recommended approval of the transfer, but also asked the

council to "firmly express their desire to the

AT&T representatives to have high-speed Internet

access to our residents as soon as possible."

The

transfer resolution was approved unanimously.

Council

members inquired about the current relationship between

the city and InterMedia, and Miller said it is

"good."

A new

customer service representative has recently come on

board at InterMedia, Miller said, and complaints are

down, with speedier resolution of problems in the past

year than before.