After almost a decade of negotiating to get Duxbury two new contracts for cable television and a third for local programming, the cable TV advisory committee has officially called it quits, a move supported by the Board of Selectmen.

Selectmen voted unanimously to dissolve the cable television committee at their meeting Monday night and they praised the volunteers for a job well done.

The cable committee began its work in 2001 before the contract with then-cable company Adelphia was due to expire in 2004. It wasn’t until 2010 that the town was able to finalize contracts with two cable providers, Comcast, which took over from Adelphia, and Verizon, which began offering FiOS, (fiber optic television) in the area.  The delay in settling the contracts was caused by the switch from Adelphia to Comcast and by the introduction of Verizon.  With the help of an attorney who specialized in cable television contracts, the committee had to hammer out the details of two contracts as well as enter into negotiations with Plymouth Area Community television so this company could broadcast local cable programs on the government, educational and public access stations.

“This committee put in endless hours,” said chairman Bill Kearney.  “Our task of getting a contract with Verizon and Comcast and establishing a contract with PACTV has worked exceedingly well and there is no reason for the committee to meet.”

The original cable television committee was formed in 1982, said Kearney.  In 2018, the town will need to appoint another cable television committee to begin negotiations again, as the current contracts expire in 2020.