College Place council briefed on Ziply-to-BCE Holdings franchise transfer; no vote taken

Interim City Attorney Eric Ferguson told the College Place City Council on March 11 that Ziply has submitted a request for the city’s consent to transfer its local franchise to BCE Holdings, with Northwest Fiber shown in related corporate materials.

Ferguson said the city’s franchise agreement and municipal code require prior written consent for transfers and that consent “shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.” He said Ziply has submitted corporate structure materials and that the city has received an application and a $5,000 transfer fee that must be processed before staff can move forward.

Why it matters: a transfer of a telecommunications franchise changes which corporate entity ultimately controls local assets even if, as Ziply asserts in its correspondence, the local service and local company would remain the same. Council members pressed for clarity about what the transaction would…