FOXBORO - The cable TV license negotiation siege between the town and Cablevision has left some town officials divided.

Selectman James Thrasher, an advocate for competition among cable providers, said this week that the leader of the board's own Cable Television Advisory Committee was foot-dragging and putting a personal political agenda above the town's interest.

Lynn Foell, chairman of the cable TV committee, took strong exception to Thrasher's criticism, and several town officials spoke up in support of Foell's efforts, citing the difficulty of negotiating with cable companies.

"Nobody is deliberately trying to stall the process," Town Manager Andrew Gala said.

Gala said Peter Epstein, the town's specialty lawyer in the cable license renewal process, characterized Foxboro's dealings with Cablevision as one of the most difficult he's experienced. "I think everybody's in favor of competition," said Michael Webber, the executive director of Foxboro Cable Access and a non-voting member of the cable committee.

"I don't think there's any question about that," Webber said.

"This isn't out of the ordinary that negotiations are going on for an extended period of time," he added of the process.

Webber said the town is at a disadvantage, because it goes though cable license renewals once every 10 years, while Cablevision hones its license bargaining methods in community after community.

Selectwoman Lynda Walsh said one community has been in cable license talks for three years.