Keizer council approves franchise for NFC Northwest (Ziply/Bell Canada ownership structure)

The Keizer City Council on Nov. 17 voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance establishing a franchise agreement with NFC Northwest LLC for telecommunications services within city limits.

Jessica Epley, vice president of regulatory and external affairs for Sibley/Ziply Fiber, described a recent ownership restructuring: the fiber business moved from private-equity owners into joint ventures aligned with Bell Canada and a Canadian public-sector pension fund. She explained that NFC Northwest will hold title to certain on-property assets inside Keizer while Ziply (Sibley) will deliver construction and managed services. "We have no open complaints at present," Epley told the council, and she outlined a staffed complaint phone line, QR-coded construction signage and weekly reports to the city on complaint volume and responsiveness.

Epley acknowledged a rocky start to construction earlier in the year, said the company had refocused its build approach (moving from broad simultaneous work to more focused area-by-area construction), and estimated the network build would complete in 2026 rather than the originally reported Dec. 30, 2025 date. Councilors pressed for complaint-contact information and requested weekly Friday reports; Ziply staff agreed to provide regular updates to staff and council.

Council president Starr moved adoption of the ordinance (read into the record as ordinance 2025) and the council approved it by unanimous voice vote. The ordinance creates a franchise framework governing use of city rights-of-way and clarifies that NFC Northwest requires its own franchise because of distinct title and ownership arrangements.