A State Supreme Court in Massachusetts last week denied
Cablevision Systems Corp. intervention status in a case to determine whether Boston Edison
Co. has the right to transfer rates to its unregulated cable and telecommunications
venture.
Cablevision had accused Boston Edison of using energy
ratepayer funds to build a fiber optic telecommunications network valued at more than $60
million and then selling it to an affiliate, RCN Corp., for significantly less than its
market value.
In a statement last Tuesday, Cablevision called the outcome
of the court case "inconsequential" because the Massachusetts Department of
Telecommunications and Energy has launched its own investigation into the matter. Those
hearings began last Tuesday and are expected to continue for several weeks.
Dominic Slowey, a Cablevision spokesman based in Boston,
said the DTE could opt to order Boston Edison to rebate its ratepayers for the cost of the
network. The DTE could also require Boston Edison to auction access to the network to
companies other than RCN and share any revenues from that auction with its customers.
Slowey said Cablevision is not trying to prevent
competition in the Boston area, where the MSO is investing $300 million in rebuilds.
"We want to make sure, if competition is the ultimate
goal, that it's done fairly and that everyone plays by the same rules," Slowey
said.
