Committee forwards 10-year Zayo telecommunications franchise renewal; city to collect no franchise fee

The Tacoma Government Performance and Finance Committee voted Feb. 4 to send a proposed 10-year telecommunications franchise agreement with Zayo Group LLC to full City Council for consideration, after staff said outstanding permitting and real-property issues tied to an earlier request were resolved.

City staff told the committee the renewal would extend an existing Zayo franchise that has been in place for more than 10 years and would update terms to reflect edits to the municipal code, including references to Title 10 and Title 16B. The agreement requires bonds, a letter of credit, and insurance consistent with the municipal code, staff said.

Why it matters: the renewal governs Zayo’s work in Tacoma’s public rights-of-way and on utility poles. Because of a prior court ruling commonly referred to in the presentation as the “Auburn case,” state law prevents the city from collecting franchise fees on telecommunications…