The $7.5 million sale of the local Private Cable Co. to Knology should be complete by year’s end and viewers will begin receiving upgraded service by the first of 2010, according to a Knology spokesman.

The News Courier reported Sunday that the sale of PCL, in business since 1995, was being discussed.

Knology director of corporate communications Tony Palermo said Tuesday local PCL customers who might fear a loss of the level of service they have come to expect from PCL should be assured that Knology technicians would be based in Athens.

But the call center is not local.

“We’re noted for our service platform,” said Palermo. “Our call center is in the Southeast and not in India or some other country. We will have local management and customer support.”

But by “local” Palermo is talking about Huntsville. He couldn’t confirm that Knology would maintain a permanent office in Athens after the transition, but would have “technicians in the market we serve.”

Palermo said Knology has no immediate plans to extend service to unserved areas. He said PCL is about 90 percent built in the Athens market.

“The exciting part is that Athens will be getting the benefit of Knology’s technology base,” he said. “There will be a significant buildup in the number of channels and HD channels.”

Palermo said PCL offers 81 channels and seven high-definition channels. He said under Knology, that number would climb to 150-plus channels and 40 HD channels.

“We are bringing a different level of competition to other companies such as Charter,” he said. “It keeps both companies on their A-games. When there is true head-to-head competition, the consumer always benefits in both services and prices.”