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Lane County extends Comcast franchise term to permit final negotiations
Summary
The board approved Ordinance 2410, extending the franchise term with Comcast of Oregon 2 to Dec. 30, 2025, to allow final negotiations with Comcast and partner cities; the extension was declared an emergency to update the county code immediately.
Lane County commissioners on Jan. 7 approved Ordinance 2410, extending the county’s franchise agreement with Comcast of Oregon 2 for operation of cable communications systems through Dec. 30, 2025.
Marcus Vejar, assistant county counsel, told the board the extension gives county negotiators more time to finalize terms with Comcast and the county’s municipal partners, including the cities of Springfield and Eugene. Vejar described the extension as a short, final postponement after years of intermittent delays related to impasses, COVID-19 disruptions and personnel health issues that slowed negotiations.
Commissioners discussed the evolution of cable and communications services since the 1990s and asked whether the county could assess franchise fees on providers that do not use county-owned rights of way. Vejar said that the current franchise negotiation specifically addresses entities that use rights of way for video programming and that the county can raise those broader questions separately and return with research on fee control for services that do not use county infrastructure.
No members of the public offered testimony. The board declared an emergency so the county code amendment could take effect immediately rather than wait the typical 30-day period; staff said the prior extension in code expired at the end of 2024. The board then approved the ordinance by roll call.
Vejar said the board’s vote simply extends the county’s authority to continue negotiations; the final franchise agreement will return to the board for signature once terms are settled among the negotiating partners.
Ordinance 2410 deletes and replaces Ordinance 22-10 in its entirety and amends Chapter 8 of the Lane Code (LC 8.100.005) to extend the franchise term.
The extension gives county negotiators a one-year window to finalize franchise terms and to address service continuity for government and schools should any transition or disruption occur, which Vejar said negotiators have been working to protect.
