Karrie Allen reports in The Chatham Courier that many Charter cable customers in Columbia County were upset by a June 28 deadline to swap out their set-top box on every television. “Charter had failed to notify more than 50 percent of its customers that they would be switching to digital service and that new cable boxes would be required to view TV,” wrote Joanne Johnson in a letter-to-the-editor on behalf of New Lebanon residents Robert Smith, John Archambeault, Michael and Crystal Johnson and Kaylee Flowers. The cable boxes are free for the first 24 months, but more than two boxes per home costs an extra $6.99. The reporter attempts to call Charter about the issues. "When trying to reach the Charter office in Chatham, one number found online with a 518 area code and a 1-800 number were both out of service. (A representative said later that there is no number for the local office). All other numbers found online or in the phone book — a 1-855- and a 1-888 — went right into Charter's automated menu. After selecting several options, a representative was finally reached." Ancram Town Supervisor Art Bassin had many problems with Charter. Bassin got in contact with Tom Cohan, director of government affairs at Charter Communications, who told The Chatham Courier that customers in Ancram, Austerlitz, Canaan, Chatham, Copake, Ghent, Hillsdale, and New Lebanon received a notice in the mail about the changes 30 days in advance. Read the full story in The Chatham Courier.