Commissioners set July 14 public hearing on Verizon cable franchise application

The Saint Mary’s County commissioners voted June 2 to authorize staff to advertise a public hearing on a Verizon Maryland LLC application for a nonexclusive cable franchise. The hearing was scheduled for July 14, 2026.

Angela Stancliff of the Department of Information and Technology told the board Verizon applied May 20 to provide cable television service by using much of its existing fiber‑to‑the‑premises infrastructure in parts of the county. "The application indicates that Verizon's existing FTTP network currently serves portions of the Southeastern area of the county," Stancliff said, summarizing the proposal’s geographic focus and standard franchise provisions such as franchise fees, reporting obligations and use of public rights of way.

A Verizon representative said the company would provide three PEG channels and expected to keep the county’s public channel at its existing position: "To my knowledge, yes … it will remain that," Paul Plymouth of Verizon said when asked whether the county channel would remain channel 95.

Why it matters: The requested franchise would give Verizon a nonexclusive right to provide cable service in portions of the county and could increase consumer options where Verizon’s fiber is already deployed. Commissioners did not vote on the franchise itself; they authorized advertising and scheduling of a public hearing so the full public record can be developed and comments heard.

The motion to advertise and schedule the hearing carried by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was recorded on the public transcript.