l/28 CAN CABLE TV PROGRAMS BE A FACTOR IN DECIDING WHETHER CABLEVISION GETS ITS FRANCHISE RENEWAL? Town Attorney says no. Many residents have complained to me about the discontinuation of some programs that they enjoyed. The Town Attorney's office indicated that the town may not require channels to be included as part of a franchise renewal. According to David Fried, Deputy Town Attorney, "from a First Amendment perspective it would not be a good idea for various governments to dictate which channels go on the system." For example, liberal municipalities would insist on on CNN...a conservative locality would demand Fox. The town may consider quality of operator's service, including signal quality, response to consumer complaints, and billing practices. But may not consider the mix or quality of cable services.