Shoreline council waives rules and approves one‑year extension for Stand Broadband franchise, 6‑0

Shoreline City Council voted 6–0 April 14 to waive Council Rule 3.6 and approve Ordinance 1035, granting a one‑year extension of a right‑of‑way franchise with Stand Broadband LLC to provide cable services.

Staff advised the council the extension is limited and procedural; the city's Public Works department is working on a comprehensive approach to multiple franchise agreements, with particular attention to relocation of private facilities when the city undertakes capital projects. Jim Hammond, the franchise presenter, was not online for the hearing; a staff member summarized the proposal and said the city ran out of time to complete negotiations on broader franchise terms.

Councilmembers asked staff to provide additional information about the franchise holder. One councilmember requested data on the number of Shoreline customers served and customer‑satisfaction indicators; staff said they would collect that information and return it to the council. Another local concern raised in informal discussion was customer complaints about outages, fees and service quality, which councilmembers said should inform future negotiations.

On a motion to waive the rule and approve the ordinance, the council recorded a unanimous roll‑call vote approving the one‑year franchise extension. Staff said the extra year will allow time for interdepartmental coordination and negotiation of any substantive revisions to franchise terms before a full renewal.

The ordinance authorizes an extension only; staff will return with proposed franchise updates and information requested by council about the provider’s local footprint and service performance.