Victoria council approves cable franchise for Mid Continent Communications

The Victoria City Council on Thursday night adopted Ordinance 467-MC granting a new cable television franchise to Mid Continent Communications and approved a resolution authorizing publication of the ordinance by title and summary.

Eric Schutte, the city’s IT manager, told the council staff had negotiated terms with Midco using the existing Mediacom franchise as a template to ensure consistent terms among providers. Schutte said negotiations focused on service-area build-out, construction standards, customer service and financial protections for the city and that "Midco has committed to providing cable services to the entire geographic area of Victoria by 12/31/2026."

The city attorney noted the council must both negotiate favorable contract terms and verify the company’s qualifications. The attorney said staff reviewed Midco’s legal, technical and financial qualifications and that "we can be confident that Midco is qualified," while stressing qualification is a separate check from negotiating the franchise terms.

Council member Roberts moved adoption of the ordinance; the motion was seconded and the council approved the ordinance by voice vote. Roberts then moved a resolution authorizing publication of the ordinance by title and summary; that resolution was seconded and adopted by voice vote. The council did not request further deliberation before the votes.

The ordinance grants the city authorization to enter the franchise agreement with Mid Continent Communications and the council authorized staff to publish the ordinance by title and summary as required for local ordinances. The franchise includes negotiated provisions on build-out, construction standards, customer service and financial protections; the full agreement will be available after publication.