Resident urges municipal consortium to press Xfinity after TiVo and billing problems

Don Palmer, a Kankakee resident, told the License & Franchise Committee at its March meeting that a service‑level change by Xfinity in April 2025 disengaged his media card and rendered his TiVo equipment effectively unusable.

Palmer said he previously owned about $1,200 in TiVo hardware and would need roughly $750 more to convert his home set‑ups to Apple TV after Xfinity stopped issuing media cards on Oct. 24, 2024. "My assessment is that Xfinity has a monopoly and they have little incentive to improve," Palmer told the committee, calling the monthsslong effort to resolve two separate service accounts for two houses "way too long." He described repeated customer‑service calls, remote troubleshooting and a technician visit that confirmed his home connection was fine.

Palmer said the company’s configuration treated one of his addresses as a master account that prevented independent streaming for the other property, and resolving it required lengthy phone support and account toggling. He recommended that municipalities form a consortium to exert leverage over franchise contracts and urged the city to invite other cable or streaming providers to propose alternatives.

The committee did not take immediate action on Palmer’s suggestions during the meeting. Palmer said he had sent an earlier email to city staff and distributed a few copies at the meeting; he concluded by asking the committee to pressure Xfinity to restore acceptable service levels and said, "Pressure needs to start now to let Xfinity know that prior performance levels are unacceptable."