Dana Volki, director of Northborough Cable Access Television, told the Northborough Financial Planning Committee that the facility’s Telview Hypercaster broadcast server, the “heart” of the station’s operations, is approaching manufacturer end-of-life and needs replacement.

Volki said the Hypercaster runs three public channels 24 hours a day, manages on-demand web content and accepts live RTMP streams for distribution to cable and online platforms. “This thing has been running 24/7, 365,” Volki said, describing the system’s role in archiving, tickers and live-stream distribution.

Volki told the committee she had received a vendor quote to replace the server and associated hardware; she cited multiple figures during the presentation and follow-up questioning. In early remarks she said a replacement-server line item was $53,006.90; later in discussion the numbers referenced included $53,690 and $56,390. Volki said the quoted hardware and associated programming are the primary cost because compatible systems are produced by a small number of vendors and full replacement typically includes additional vendor hardware and integration work.

Committee members asked about the funding source and ongoing costs. A committee member summarized Volki’s explanation, saying the proposed funding would come from the town’s cable fund and therefore would be paid from the small franchise fee that appears on residential Verizon and Charter bills, not from general-tax revenue. Volki said that cable-fee receipts in 2024 totaled about $194,000 combined (Verizon and Charter) and that residential subscribers in town are declining roughly 10% a year.

Committee members also pressed on timeline and technical details. Volki said the product’s manufacturer listed February 2027 as the end-of-support date and that she sought approval now to allow ordering and installation before warranty and support end. Lead time for installation was described as “probably a few months,” and vendor technicians would perform the swap, reprogramming and content transfer. On security, Volki said she would check with the vendor about firewall and other protections; specific security measures were not detailed in the meeting.

The committee did not take a formal vote on Article 31 during the presentation. Volki said closed-captioning can be handled via YouTube without additional vendor services and that vendor support contracts already cost the department about $12,000 per year.

Why it matters: Replacing a broadcast server that runs live and archived programming affects the town’s ability to meet cable franchise obligations and to keep public meetings and town programming on air and online. The committee asked for clarification of the quoted replacement cost and confirmation of security measures and lead time before recommending funding in the capital plan.