Cox Communications Update

Steve Sawyer of Cox Communications reports that service has been restored to 90 percent of customers on the East Bank and 75 percent on the West Bank.

Also, The St. Charles Parish Service Center on Storehouse Lane in Destrehan has resumed normal operations as of Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The following are some Frequently Asked Questions regarding Cox cable, phone and Internet service.

Residental Customer Care: 504-304-8444

Business Customer Care: 504-304-1700

Some Cox Communications updates pertinent to the greater New Orleans area:

• As of 10am, Wednesday, Sept. 10, Cox has 100% of its nodes fully up.
• Customers who are not currently receiving services should now contact customer service to report a trouble call. If a residential or business customer, please provide the appropriate customer care numbers above.
• There is certainly damage caused by the winds of Gustav that is not readily apparent during a visual inspection of the plant. Cox is actively working to identify and correct as many of those problems as possible, but it will take time.

MANDATORY EVACUATION CREDIT

Credits Statement: "Cox Communications will be giving all residential customers an automatic 4 day mandatory evacuation credit on all monthly recurring charges credited on your October bill. For customers who experienced extended outages, we are reviewing our service outage records and if additional credits are warranted, these credits will also be issued on your October bill. "

Questions and Answers:

Q: What will be credited on my bill?

A: Cox Communications will proactively apply a 4 day mandatory evacuation credit for all monthly recurring charges to all Cox Residential customers. This credit will happen automatically on their October Bill. Monthly recurring charges are the base service charges customers pay for each month; charges such as their Standard Cable Service $49.99 , their Cox High Speed Internet Service $43.99 and Cox Digital Telephone $11.99 will all be covered under this credit. All “per use” charges will not be covered; meaning that Customers will still have to pay for any per use services such as long distance calls, On demand movies, etc.

Q: When will I see this credit?

A: This credit will be applied automatically and proactively so all customers should see this credit on their next October bill.

Q: My service is still out, will my account be credited for those days that I have no service?

A: Yes, although we have 96% of our customers up and running, we do have areas where service has not been restored due to commercial power our downed drops. If your service is still not working, our service outage report will illustrate that and you will be automatically assessed an additional credit for those extended outage days. This additional credit will also be on your October bill.

Q: What will be included in the credit?

A: All monthly recurring services will be credited for the 4 days: For Video: this would cover the monthly cost of your cable including the cost of any premium channels, Digital services even the monthly cost of your converter rental will be credited for those 4 days. The per use charges for PPV or any On Demand services will not be credited. For Cox High Speed Internet: The credit will include the monthly cost of your High Speed internet service as well as premium access pass and Rhapsody subscriptions.

For Cox Digital Telephone: the credit will include the cost of your monthly telephone package (simple line all the way to a connections package such as connection 90). The credit will not include any national and international long distance charges or any other telephone “per use” items such as a la carte features like call forwarding or * 69.

Q: How will customers see this credit?

A: Customers will automatically see this credit on their October bill. There is no need to call us to confirm. Customers who experienced extended outages may also see an additional credit on their October bill if our service outage reports show that services were not rendered. For both credits, customers will see it detailed as “Disaster Recovery Credit” on their October statements.

DEBRIS REMOVAL – COX PEDESTAL ISSUE

Post-Gustav, Cox is working hard to rebuild and restore our network. After Hurricane Katrina, the company’s rebuilding and service restoration struggled due to citizens piling their debris and tree limbs on our service boxes/cylinders (commonly known as pedestals) and when the debris removal trucks came to pickup, they would pull-up the pedestal hidden beneath the debris with their front loaders. The issue happened repeatedly and destroyed our plant equipment and put Cox back even further in restoring services. A pedestal is a green box or narrow stack that sticks out of the ground approximately every 2 to 3 homes located about 6ft off the curb. After Gustav, Cox is being proactive and reaching out to all parishes and municipalities requesting that they stress to their constituents the importance of not stacking their debris and broken limbs on cable or utility pedestals. This affects mainly neighborhoods where their cable and power is delivered underground.

Cox had more post-Katrina damage to our plant/infrastructure due to debris removal/pedestal damage than the company had from the entire Katrina storm alone. As citizens are getting back, Cox is trying to remind them before they begin their cleanup to avoid placing their debris on these pedestals or boxes. Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

COX CUSTOMER FAQs

1. My services are out. What should I do? Cox’s advanced monitoring network allows us to be aware of video, Internet and telephone outages that are being experienced. There is no need for you to call to report an outage. Please know that Cox employees are working around-the-clock in conjunction with the city, parish and electrical utilities to restore your services.
2. When can I expect my services to be restored? In addition to our monitoring network, Cox had conducted network surveys on the ground where areas are accessible and in the air where they are not. In many cases, we are unable to estimate how long outages may persist until we can physically access equipment and understand when services we depend on, like electricity, will be restored. Please know that Cox employees are working around-the-clock to restore your services as quickly as possible.
3. What is Cox doing to restore services? Cox Communications has been one of the first organizations to have employees safely re-enter storm-affected areas. They are working to ensure the safety of our customers, repair our network and quickly restore services. Cox has also mobilized forces from other Cox markets that will be traveling to assist in expediting this process.
4. What should I do if my video/phone/Internet service is out? Cox has been monitoring our network throughout the recovery and we are aware of the video, Internet and telephone outages that are being experienced. There is no need for you to call to report an outage. Please know, Cox employees are working around-the-clock to restore your services as quickly as possible.
5. Even though I don’t have access to my computer, can I access my Cox High Speed Internet Email? Yes, all email accounts are still active. If you can get web access to the Internet, New Orleans customers may read and send email at no charge via our WebMail site: http://webmail.cox.net
6. When will the local Cox Service Center be open? All Cox Service Centers reopened and began regular business hours on Saturday, September 6. Destrehan – 4 Storehouse Lane Tuesday and Thursday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.