Centreville approves Comcast franchise; council presses for PEG access and clarity on internet revenue

The Centreville Town Council voted Nov. 6 to authorize a franchise agreement with Comcast covering cable service in town limits. Staff said the agreement uses terms similar to other recent local franchise deals and that the town will follow with code updates to modernize local provisions.

During discussion Council members pushed for public/education/government (PEG) channel access and questioned whether the franchise calculation should include internet/Wi‑Fi revenues. Council President Fred said the county had negotiated PEG access and related equipment funding in past agreements and asked staff to pursue similar language. A Comcast representative said PEG channels now have very low viewership on average but acknowledged they can be useful for emergency notifications and community programming and said the company would discuss operational options.

Members also asked about customer‑service standards and construction timelines. Comcast told the council it aims to meet FCC customer‑service guidelines and that, if the town signs the agreement, company construction teams planned to be at the town border within about two weeks. The Comcast representative explained that current federal cable law constrains the franchise to cable service revenue and that internet service revenue (Wi‑Fi/high‑speed internet) is not included in the gross‑revenue base for this franchise agreement.

The resolution passed by voice vote. Sharon (staff) told the council the town will pursue code amendments to align local rules with modern franchise practice and to address other outdated language in the municipal code.

The council and staff asked follow‑up questions about longer‑term community needs and emergency notification integration; staff said they would continue to negotiate implementation detail with Comcast and with county partners.