Cable Franchise hearing

On August 9th, as part of the regular Supervisors meeting, the Supervisors will be conducting a public hearing regarding the renewal of the Comcast Cable franchise renewal.

This public hearing is part of the preliminary portion of franchise renewal, in which the Township/Borough reviews the cable operator’s past performance and identifies the Township’s future cable-related community needs. As such, as part of this public hearing, we invite comments from any citizens who wish to speak regarding either or both of the aforementioned subjects.

Franchise renewal is the best opportunity for municipalities to assert their rights with respect to their cable operators and to obtain important benefits in return for granting the cable operators the right to use its public rights-of-way. These benefits include:

1. A State-of-the-Art Cable System now and in the future;
2. Strong Customer Service Standards;
3. Free Services to Community Facilities;
4. Better Reporting Requirements from the Cable Operator;
5. Franchise Fees;
6. A Franchise Grant;
7. An Educational and Governmental (EG) Channel;
8. Legal Protections of the Rights-of-Way; and
9. Better Mechanisms to Enforce the Franchise Agreement.

These are just some of the potential benefits available through franchise renewal. Citizens may address these items or any other cable-related items that are important to them.