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Committee holds Google Fiber franchise request after members press for stronger right‑of‑way and restoration rules
Summary
Councilmembers held a proposed 10‑year Google Fiber franchise to allow more time to negotiate language that would hold Google accountable for subcontractor work, require clearer notice to residents and ensure proper restoration; committee requested projected revenue and a report back on enforcement and bond triggers.
City Utilities Committee members voted to hold a proposed 10‑year franchise agreement that would authorize Google Fiber to place fiber in Atlanta rights‑of‑way, citing constituent complaints about restoration work performed by subcontractors and asking for clearer enforcement language and revenue estimates.
The ordinance introduced by Councilmember Collins would grant Google Fiber a nonexclusive 10‑year franchise with two successive two‑year renewal options and a 2% franchise fee. Stephanie Grant of the law department said a separate license for Google’s HUT locations already exists; the proposed franchise would permit Google to lay fiber to premises. Grant said early projections used during negotiation suggested a 3.5% franchise fee would have yielded roughly $5 million; at 2% the representative estimated the city could expect on the order of $2 million, and the committee asked that a firm estimate be provided to the Finance/Executive Committee.
Councilmembers raised repeated concerns about subcontractors tearing up streets, failing to restore sidewalks and yards, and providing inadequate advance notice to homeowners. Councilmember Ames said the problem is the subcontractors’ work and asked that the city clarify enforcement pathways and bond forfeiture triggers to ensure repairs are completed without forcing residents to wait. Councilmember Shook and others asked the law department and ATLDOT to propose specific language holding franchise holders responsible for their subcontractors and to provide the contact information for Google’s government liaison (identified during the meeting as Jess George).
The committee voted to hold the item to the next meeting to allow staff to gather: (1) the projected revenue estimate for the 2% franchise fee, (2) proposed franchise language or conditions holding Google responsible for subcontractor performance and right‑of‑way restoration, and (3) a report on bond triggers and ATL DOT enforcement procedures for nonperforming permittees. The motion to hold passed with the committee recorded as 4 yays, 0 nays.
Ending: The law department and ATL DOT staff said they will return with proposed contract language, the Google liaison contact and a recommended enforcement approach before the committee’s next meeting; councilmembers asked the administration to circulate those materials to all council offices in advance.
