One year after the Islandwide franchise agreement with Comcast expired, a new 10-year cable television contract remains unfinished with no clear end in sight. And cable service to Chappaquiddick continues to be the chief sticking point.

Cable committee chairman Jennifer Rand said this week the committee did not want to rush the contract “just because we’re tired of negotiating.”

“This is a 10-year contract and a lengthy conversation,” she said. “We want to get it right.”

Ms. Rand said the committee continues to stand firmly behind Edgartown and the town’s demand for service on Chappaquiddick. The committee presented a proposal to Comcast at a meeting with Ms. Rand and cable committee attorney Bill Solomon in May that included service to Chappy, but Ms. Rand said this week that Comcast has yet to respond.

The 10-year contract expired in June 2011.

Talks for a new franchise agreement with Comcast to provide service for all six Vineyard towns have been underway since then. The cable advisory committee, made up of representatives from each town, has been negotiating for a new contract on behalf of the Island. There will be six separate contracts for each town when a final deal is reached.

The expired contract remains in effect until a new agreement is reached. The committee had originally expected to finish negotiations by the end of 2011. The latest extension date is now July 31.

Chappaquiddick residents have been pressing for service to their island since negotiations began. In December Edgartown walked away from the negotiating table and said it would not return until Comcast could guarantee service to Chappy. Backing its neighbors in Edgartown, Tisbury pulled out of the contract talks a short time later. Both towns returned to the table in March.

The power company NStar and Comcast reached an agreement this spring for the use of one of two electric conduits beneath the Edgartown harbor for Comcast to thread a cable.

Peter Getsinger, outgoing co-president of the Chappaquiddick Island Association who has worked closely with the town to secure cable service for Chappaquiddick, said this week he was “more than a little bit unhappy with the signals Comcast is sending.

“I’m a little bit disappointed that Comcast hasn’t been a little bit clearer about what the issues are, a lot of it seems to be happening behind a curtain,” Mr. Getsinger said yesterday. “I don’t think Comcast has been very forthcoming with some of the technical aspects of what is causing them to drag their feet on this.”

Earlier this year Comcast said there were technical issues involving NStar and the conduit beneath the Edgartown harbor, but that has now been resolved.

“I think that Comcast . . . is operating from a pillar of wisdom or a pillar to do whatever they want. I think it’s a shame,” Mr. Getsinger said. “They’re suggesting to me that they’re divorced from the reality of the Island.”

He said the Edgartown selectmen, town administrator Pamela Dolby and the entire cable committee have been extremely supportive of the Chappaquiddick position.

Yesterday Mrs. Dolby said she had nothing new to report and is waiting for Mr. Solomon to return from vacation. She said she was hoping to have an update after the July Fourth holiday.

Ms. Rand said the committee’s latest proposal involves an Island-wide density formula to determine how many houses per mile would be needed to provide service. The committee had previously proposed two separate formulas, one for Chappaquiddick and one for other under-served areas, mostly in up-Island areas. In April, the committee considered a formula that called for 15 homes per mile if conduit was already in use and 25 homes per mile if conduit was available but not in use. Ms. Rand said they have settled for a number between the two but she could not specify.

Comcast had previously offered a plan that divided the buildout areas on the Island into several groups, each with a corresponding price point for how much customers would contribute in order to receive service. The fees, which are one-time payments, range from $167 to $4,000, depending on the area.

Other issues in the unfinished contract include emergency broadcasting capabilities, a fourth channel for MVTV and capital funds for MVTV equipment. MVTV currently receives five per cent of the gross revenues Comcast collects from Island subscribers. The cable committee has asked for MVTV to receive $620,000 annually for capital needs.

Everything is “a give and take,” Ms. Rand said, and the numbers could change.

In an e-mail to the Gazette this week, Comcast spokesman Doreen Vigue could add little new information.

“We continue to be actively engaged in discussions and are grateful to Island officials for their continued cooperation,” she wrote. “We look forward to finalizing our talks in the near future.”