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Council renews Lumos/Segra franchise with stronger pole-management enforcement
Summary
Council approved a renewal of the Lumos/Segra telecommunications franchise in the public right-of-way with added enforcement measures to accelerate removal of double poles and expedite transfers, aimed at improving ADA compliance and pedestrian safety.
City Council approved a renewed right-of-way franchise for Lumos (doing business as Segra) that updates enforcement language and timelines for transferring lines and removing old poles. Council and staff framed the ordinance as part of a broader effort to reduce double poles and resolve delayed transfers that can impede sidewalk access and ADA compliance.
City Engineer (presented in transcript as Bridal Duncan) said the updated franchise language adds explicit timing and daily-penalty language to give the city more leverage with pole owners and attachers. "Every time that we get another franchise renewal, we're adding this language in," the city engineer said. The revisions add clearer expectations and penalties for moving third-party attachments from old poles to newly installed poles.
Council approved the franchise and, by council motion, waived a second reading to adopt the ordinance at that meeting. Staff said the franchise is one tool among several (including negotiations with dominant pole owners) to address sidewalk obstructions and improve pedestrian safety; it is not a standalone solution for all pole-location issues.
The ordinance as approved includes editorial corrections requested in the meeting (minor typographical fixes in section numbering and timing language) before final adoption.
