Arizona's voice of the independents: Jim Monroe saw hundreds of antennas on a drive through the San Carlos Apache Reservation—and then saw his future

Cable World, March 11, 2002 by Shirley Brady

Specializing in building cable systems on American Indian reservations is one way for an independent cable operator to carve out a niche amid industry consolidation--a niche that suits Jim Monroe quite well.

Monroe "has actually made a success of it," says Susan Bitter Smith, the executive director of the Arizona Cable Telecommunications Association (ACTA). He's "a poster child for the independent small operator," she adds. "He has managed to hang on and find a niche for service despite system conglomeration and mergers. He's not only out in the field taking care of his customers; our members look to him as a senior statesman."

Monroe, owner of Monroe Cablevision, dismisses such praise, although he is proud to have served the industry he joined in 1961, following four years of military service as an electrical engineer.

"Communication with my peers is very important for a small operator like me," says Monroe. "I hear their experiences, and we exchange information on what channels we carry, what rates we charge."

A longtime member of the ACTA, he has been inducted into both the Arizona and the national cable pioneers halls of fame.

The 61-year-old Arizona native has also spent a lot of time in Washington, D.C., where he lobbies on behalf of independent operators through the American Cable Association. He also traveled frequently to Washington as a member of the board of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), whose Independent/Small Operators' Committee he chaired from 1992 to 1998.

"Jim really was the voice for the small independent operator for many years," says Jadz Janucik, SVP-association affairs for the NCTA.

Beyond representing his fellow independent operators, Monroe is focused on bringing digital table and high-speed Internet service to his 1,100 subscribers on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.

Monroe brought cable--almost by accident--to the sprawling 10,000-resident reservation, located on 2,900 square miles in south central Arizona, about 100 miles west of Phoenix.

"In 1979, I just happened to be driving through there and immediately could see a particular need, because San Carlos is nestled between a mesa and a couple of mountains," recalls Monroe. "I could see several hundred TV antennas and long leads running down to people's homes."

On a whim he approached the tribe's council, which granted him a 15-year license that he activated in 1983 and has since been extending in four-year increments.

"The tribal attorney wrote a pretty rigid license agreement, under which we agreed to provide reasonable service at reasonable rates," says Monroe. "For the most part we just operate, and so long as we pay our franchise fees and take care of our customers, they're happy and I am happy."

Monroe also provides cable service to the reservation's elementary school and offers a local information channel.

Three years ago, he expanded by launching a small cable system in nearby Gila County. He plans to upgrade to 450 MHz and launch a digital tier by the end of the year if he can get the financing and create a rate structure in line with the local economy.

Monroe admits that it's difficult for small operations to get bank loans--particularly a small operation on an Indian reservation--which may delay the upgrade. "A digital tier is needed, as I'd love to offer more services, but I still need to be concerned about the rates that are charged, because of the local economy. There's a reasonable level of unemployment here, so I don't want to price people out of cable service."

He is also eager to meet his subscribers' demand for high-speed Internet access. "As much as this system isn't as state-of-the-art as I'd like it to be, I still try to offer my subscribers good quality, variety and entertainment."

Monroe says he weighs his business decisions in light of the mentorship he received in his early years in the business, when he acquired, rebuilt and ran cable systems in Oklahoma, Texas and California for industry pioneers such as Bill Daniels and Bruce Merrill.

"I found Jim to be a very bright young guy who did an excellent job," says Merrill.

Monroe has also relied on support from his wife, LaJunta, with whom he has five children and ten grandchildren. She helped run the San Carlos system in the early years but has since retired from the family business to run a crafts store in Scottsdale, Ariz.

"From those early years of just trying to pick up a TV signal and get it to the house, he's still trying to offer the best service he can," says Huntsie, as Jim calls his wife. "He has always made an all-out effort to stay on top of the best the industry has to offer."

MONROE CABLEVISION

SAN CARLOS APACHE RESERVATION AND GILA, COUNTY, ARIZONA

OWNERSHIP: Privately held by Jim Monroe and backers

MILES OF PLANT: 5

HOMES PASSED: 3,000

TOTAL SUBS: 1,100

BASIC CABLE RATE: $29.50 for 46 channels on the San Carlos system; $22.50 for 36 channels in Gila County

LOCAL ADVERTISING: Community ads on local origination channel

Know a cable operator with a story to tell? Send pitches to Shirley Brady at sbrady@mediacentral.com.