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Auburn council sets May 22 public hearing for Verizon cable franchise renewal
Summary
Council authorized a public hearing for May 22 to consider a proposed renewal agreement between the city and Verizon New York Inc. for a cable television franchise; council and staff said Verizon seeks a five-year renewal and the city is coordinating with Auburn Regional Media Access.
The Auburn City Council on May 1 authorized a public hearing on May 22 to consider a proposed cable television franchise renewal agreement with Verizon New York, Inc., which the city said has an existing franchise that expired in February 2025.
City Corporation Counsel and staff told the council they have engaged with Verizon representatives and with Auburn Regional Media Access (ARMA), the nonprofit that operates the local public, educational and government (PEG) access channel. Staff said Verizon is seeking a five-year renewal and that the draft agreement would continue existing partnerships related to public access.
The council's resolution notes the city acted previously in 2010 to authorize the then-current franchise and that the proposed renewal would be considered under the city's authority as the local franchising authority and under relevant federal and state regulations. The resolution instructs the city clerk to publish required public notices and schedules the hearing for May 22 at 5 p.m. in Council Chambers.
Councilor Cuddy, who said she served on the original Auburn Cable Commission in 2010, highlighted ARMA's role and called the public-access relationship "an asset to the community." The council voted to advertise the public hearing and include franchise review on the May 22 agenda.
The public hearing will give residents an opportunity to comment before the council considers any final lease or franchise renewal agreement with Verizon; staff said details of the proposed agreement are available in the draft materials accompanying the agenda.
