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Cowlitz commissioners reject altered Ziply franchise application and ask for new filing
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Summary
The board voted to terminate and reject the current Ziply/Zipli Fiber franchise application after the proposed franchisee changed entities mid-process; staff said the change requires re-advertisement and a new hearing.
Cowlitz County commissioners terminated the current telecommunications franchise process for a proposed Ziply/Zipli Fiber franchise and required the company to submit a new application after the franchisee name changed during the public hearing process.
Staff explained that the franchise application had been altered — multiple Ziply/Zipli entities and footprints were referenced — and that such a change in the applicant is a material change in a legislative franchising process that requires public re-advertisement and another hearing. County counsel recommended terminating the current process at the request of the proposed franchisee and re-advertising the matter.
A commissioner moved to reject or terminate the current franchise request and require the company to file a new application for any future franchising; the board voted in favor by voice vote. No new franchise application was filed at the meeting and no final action on a future application was taken.
The board’s action was procedural: it did not bar Ziply/Zipli from reapplying, but it halted the current hearing because the public had not had an opportunity to comment on the changed application.
