Dayton to get new cable TV option

Some Dayton residents could have a new cable television option next year.

Owners of the next 2,000 homes built in Legado of Dayton, along Dayton Valley Road, will be the first to receive service from PrimeVision Cable Television of Lyon County LLC, now that the Lyon County Commissioners have approved a new nonexclusive cable television franchise agreement with the Weston, Fla.,-based company.

The commissioners approved the agreement Thursday. The agreement, which runs for seven years, is exactly the same as that offered to Charter Communications, which now serves many Lyon County residents.

Tod Workman, chief executive officer of PrimeVision, said the service is expected to be offered in the first half of 2007, when the first of the next phases of Legado are built.

The planned-unit development already has about 650 homes, according to Barbe Seal of Lakemont Homes of Nevada, developer of Legado.

Seal said the new cable company will serve only the newer homes; the existing homes can't be retrofitted.

Workman said his company will offer basic cable, digital cable, premium channels like HBO and pay-per-view services. "All the typical channels," he said.

The cost hasn't yet been determined, but Workman said rates are established by the Federal Communications Commission and they would be competitive with Charter.

The agreement gives PrimeVision the right to utilize county utility rights-of-way for their cable service, in exchange for 3 percent of the company's gross revenue.

"That's typical across the country," Workman said.

Lyon County Comptroller Josh Foli said Lyon County receives $65,000 per year from the Charter agreement, but couldn't give an estimate about how much PrimeVision might bring.

"You can't predict until you see how many homes are hooked up," Foli said.

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.