YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — With Americable’s premium cable offerings now off the airwaves at Yokota, base officials reshuffled the lineup of remaining American Forces Network and local Japanese television channels early Wednesday morning.
The consolidation move at the top of the dial shifts the Japanese commercial stations up to channels 3-10, with AFN selections occupying spots 11-19 and the Commander’s Channel at 20.
There isn’t any new programming available — just a reconfiguration of the channel order, which is scheduled to remain in place until Allied Telesis Capital Corp., the base’s new cable television provider, can go online sometime in 2007.
“It was a cooperative effort between Americable, the 374th Communications Squadron, AFN and our contracting squadron,” said Maj. David Westover, a 374th Airlift Wing spokesman. “It was really all four elements working closely together … to allow Americable to remove all of its equipment and infrastructure.”
Americable terminated all paid cable television and broadband Internet services at Yokota on Oct. 26. Its base office remains open at least through the end of the year to process returned modems and resolve final billing issues.
In September, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service signed a 15-year contract with Allied Telesis to provide voice, video and data services at Yokota. Allied Telesis is expected to take over Internet and telephone lines in January, but the new cable television package won’t be available until May.
Allied Telesis is slated to release a preliminary channel lineup and pricing plan by Dec. 8, AAFES said.
The lineup ...
A look at the new channel guide for the free tier of cable television service that remains at Yokota Air Base, Japan:
2 Electronic Program Guide (temporary channel assignment for Americable information)
3 ASHAI 10 Local Japanese
4 KANAGAWA 42 Local Japanese
5 TOKYO 12 Local Japanese
6 FUJI 8 Local Japanese
7 NTV 4 Local Japanese
8 NHK 3 Local Japanese
9 TBS 6 Local Japanese
10 NHK 1 Local Japanese
11 AFN Pacific
12 AFN Atlantic
13 AFN Spectrum
14 AFN Sports
15 AFN Pentagon
16 AFN Xtra
17 AFN Movie
18 AFN Family
19 AFN News
20 Commander’s Channel (base, command information)
