Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find information that might help you understand how to find things or learn about information you might need to know about your city or town.
Cable Television Administrator
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The town’s franchise agreement states that all homes that fall into an area that meets a density requirement of 20 homes per mile will be offered cable service within 5 years of the effective date of the franchise. According to Verizon, they continue to meet the build out timeline contained within Exhibit A of the franchise agreement. They will not provide the town with specifics as to their build out plan.Cable Television Administrator
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State and Federal Law provide the town with no ability to regulate rates. The cable company will often work with customers as a means of retention. Contacting customer service will often lead to enticing offers.Cable Television Administrator
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Cable Television Administrator
Neither Spectrum nor Verizon FiOS offer a discount to senior subscribers. This decision was not one that the town was in agreement with, but it was nonnegotiable at the time the agreements were finalized.
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Cable Television Administrator
There are a couple of reasons why this would be impossible. The first relates to “level playing field” rules. When the Verizon contract expires in 2021, they cannot be compelled to be at a financial disadvantage to Spectrum whose agreement doesn’t expire until 2024. Both contracts must be comparable in terms of requirements on the cable provider. The second is that towns do not have the leverage that one might expect in a renegotiation situation. The plant is built and customers are already serviced. Should the town attempt to deny service to a cable provider, thousands of residents/customers could lose service. Since that can’t happen, the town is over a barrel. The cable provider understands this, as does the NYS regulatory authority, the Public Service Commission (“PSC”). If the Town can’t come to a resolution with the cable provider, a Temporary Order of Authority (“TOA”) is issued every 6 months by the PSC until a new agreement can be worked out. We have seen TOAs issued for over 20 years to one municipality.
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The cable television franchise fees represent part of the compensation a community receives in exchange for the cable operator's occupation and the right-of-way use of public property. A franchise fee is not a tax; it is a rental charge.Cable Television Administrator
Franchise fees are governed under Section 622 of the Cable Communications Act of 1984. Section 622 states that municipalities are entitled to a maximum of 5% of gross revenues derived from the operation of the cable system for the provision of cable services including, but not limited to, pay channels, pay per view programs, and basic, standard, and digital tiers of service.