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Council renews non‑exclusive Verizon cable franchise after public hearing; vote 6‑1
Summary
After a public hearing with no speakers, council granted Verizon Virginia LLC a non‑exclusive cable franchise to operate in Portsmouth; one council member dissented in the final adoption vote.
Portsmouth City Council granted a non‑exclusive cable franchise renewal to Verizon Virginia LLC to construct, operate and maintain a cable system within the city.
The item began as a public hearing (agenda item 25‑85); no members of the public spoke during the hearing. The franchise ordinance (agenda item 25‑89) was then presented for adoption. Council approved the ordinance by a recorded vote of 6‑1.
The ordinance renews Verizon’s non‑exclusive right to install and operate cable infrastructure in city rights‑of‑way subject to franchise terms; the public transcript records the clerk reading the franchise renewal language and the recorded vote. No substantive council discussion was recorded in the public transcript during the vote on the franchise renewal. The meeting record does not include the franchise’s detailed operational or financial terms — the clerk’s read text described only the franchise request and renewal action.
Council’s adoption followed the city’s public hearing process; the hearing closed with no speakers and the city moved the franchise item to the city manager’s section of the agenda before adoption. The final recorded vote was 6 in favor and 1 opposed.
