Council panel acts to help fund WCCA-TV

Other Committee · Meeting of September 17, 2026

Worcester council panel presses Spectrum on seniors, backs a funding lifeline for WCCA-TV. The Public Service and Transportation Committee voted 3-0 to direct the city manager to work with the Worcester Chamber of Commerce on a sponsorship for WCCA-TV, which representative Mauro said has lost three staff positions and may run out of money in "another year and a half." Director of Cable Services Judy Warren said Worcester's cable subscriber base has fallen from roughly 47,000 around 2013 to just under 18,000 today, shrinking the revenue base behind the city's franchise fees. The decade-old senior discount on basic cable, a priority for Councillor John Frizzolo, remains unresolved in the still-unfinished Spectrum franchise renewal, more than two years after the old contract expired in October 2023.

Resident Fred Nathan called for a forensic audit of the cable company's local finances. In a separate vote, the committee filed an order on a long-removed EcoTarium bus route after WRTA Administrator Josh Rickman outlined plans for new microtransit service near Plantation Street.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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• The complete report — 2,071 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of September 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.