2026-09-17 - Public Service and Transportation Committee
Summary
Robert A. Bilotta (chair), John P. Fresolo and Luis A. Ojeda (remote) met in the Levi Lincoln (North) Chamber, 5:31 to 6:31 PM, all votes 3-0. WRTA Administrator Joshua Rickman described plans for the bus route past the EcoTarium; the discussion also covered a removed stop on Waverly St., WRTA public outreach when relocating stops, the microtransit study timeline and coordination with the city's Mobility Action Plan, and the item was recommended for filing. Councilor Rosen's order on the stalled Spectrum cable contract (the prior agreement expired in October 2023 amid alleged violations, poor service and unpaid senior discounts) drew an overview from the Director of Cable Services, questions from Fresolo and Ojeda about the amount of senior discounts owed, and comments from the WCCA TV executive director on declining PEG funding and state legislation. The committee recommended approval and added a chairman's order asking the City Manager to explore principal sponsorships for WCCA TV with the Worcester Chamber of Commerce.
Summary written from the official minutes; no transcript yet.
Issues discussed: WRTA Bus Service Improvements, Spectrum Cable Contract Renewal
Official Minutes
Journal of the committee as posted on PrimeGov (summary of actions, not verbatim). Page headers and footers removed.
CITY OF WORCESTER
PUBLIC SERVICE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Levi Lincoln (North) Chamber
Convened: 5:31 P.M.
Adjourned: 6:31 P.M.
MAYOR
Joseph M. Petty
COMMITTEE MEMBERS CLERK OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Chairperson Robert A Bilotta Nikolin Vangjeli
Vice Chairperson John P Fresolo
Councilor Luis A Ojeda
www.worcesterma.gov
City Hall - 455 Main Street Worcester, Massachusetts
Present Were: Chairperson Councilor Robert A. Bilotta
Councilor John P. Fresolo
Councilor Luis A. Ojeda, who participated in the meeting
remotely
Also: Director of Cable Services Judy Warren
Commissioner of Transportation and Mobility Stephen Rolle
WRTA Administrator Joshua Rickman
WCCA TV Executive Director Mauro DePasquale
Deputy City Clerk Clare M. Robbins, clerk
1. Virtual Attendee Call-In Information/Important Notice to Petitioners
a. Pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021 and in order to ensure active, public
engagement, the City of Worcester currently allows for both in-person and remote
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Public Service and Transportation Committee Zoom Link:
https://worcesterma.zoomgov.com/j/1613790984
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Public Service and Transportation Committee Zoom Access Code: 161 379 0984
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on the City of Worcester’s official letterhead. Any legitimate hearing letter will always
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2. Approval of the Minutes
a. Order - That the City Council Standing Committee of Public Service and Transportation
hereby approves the minutes of the Public Service and Transportation Committee
meeting on July 23, 2026.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta read the item and moved for a roll call vote to adopt the item.
Order adopted on a roll call vote of 3 Yeas and 0 Nays
3. Miscellaneous Items
a. Report of the Committee on Public Service and Transportation Upon the Order of
Councilor Morris A. Bergman and Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson - Request Standing
Committee on Public Service and Transportation Committee hold a public discussion
with the WRTA Administrator relative to the removal of a bus route that passes the
EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way.
# 11d CC January 27, 2026
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta read the item and recognized the WRTA Administrator, who
provided an overview and future plans related to the bus route that passes the EcoTarium, 222
Harrington Way.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta recognized Councilor Fresolo, who discussed the removal of a bus
stop on Waverly St. with the Commissioner of Transportation and Mobility.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta then discussed public outreach efforts made by the WRTA when
relocating bus stops, how public meetings are organized, as well as the timeline associated with the
microtransit module study in the city with the WRTA Administrator.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta recognized the Commissioner of Transportation and Mobility, who
discussed the department’s collaboration efforts with the WRTA related to the Mobility Action
Plan.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta moved for a roll call vote to recommend the item be filed.
Recommend File on a roll call vote of 3 Yeas and 0 Nays
b. Order of Councilor Gary Rosen - Request City Manager provide City Council with an
update concerning the current state of negotiations for a new cable contract with
Spectrum. The previous agreement, which expired in October 2023, was marred by
Spectrum's contract violations, poor customer service, poor cable reliability and failure
to provide contractual senior discounts, among others.
# 13d CC February 24, 2026
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta read the item and recognized the Director of Cable Services, who
provided an overview of the item.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta recognized Councilor Fresolo, who discussed the role of the
Director of Cable Services in the contract negotiations with Charter Communications/Spectrum,
challenges related to setting programming rates with cable companies and senior discount
negotiations with the Director of Cable Services.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta then discussed details associated with the sources and distribution
of the Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) funding with the Director of Cable Services.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta recognized Councilor Ojeda, who discussed the senior discount
agreement with Charter Communications/Spectrum including how much is owed by the company
to senior subscribers in the city with the Director of Cable Services.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta then discussed the feasibility of calculating the senior discount
amount that is owed by Charter Communications/Spectrum, challenges related to budget cuts due
to decreasing PEG funding and considerations regarding inclusion of streaming services with PEG
funding with the Director of Cable Services.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta recognized Councilor Ojeda, who discussed the decrease in number
of cable subscribers with the Director of Cable Services.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta recognized the WCCA TV Executive Director, who discussed the
importance of creating new legislations to increase PEG funding, challenges related to budget cuts
and current legislations under consideration to modernize PEG funding at the State level.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta brought forth the following Chairman’s Order: Request City
Manager work with the Worcester Chamber of Commerce to explore principal sponsorships for
WCCA TV.
Chairperson Councilor Bilotta moved for a roll call vote to recommend the item be approved.
Recommend Approval on a roll call vote of 3 Yeas and 0 Nays
Chairman's Orders
Request City Manager work with the Worcester Chamber of Commerce to explore
principal sponsorships for WCCA TV.
Transcript
Transcript pending: YouTube captions can't be retrieved yet (see the Worcester playbook).