North Attleborough Cable Advisory Committee presses for 5% fee and HD community channel in Comcast talks

At its July 16, 2026 meeting, the North Attleborough Cable Advisory Committee discussed strategy for negotiating Comcast's upcoming cable license renewal, prioritizing a 5% franchise fee and a high-definition community channel.

The committee's chair said the two "biggest asks" are a 5% payment (franchise fee) and placement of a digital, high-definition community channel, and that members were willing to consider reducing capital contributions if necessary to secure the fee target. "So I think for us, it's can we get 5% in a digital channel, a high def channel?" the chair said.

A committee member asked what Comcast would gain from those concessions, saying the company's return might be goodwill or continued business relationships. The member also raised the idea of a cablecast or feed for the Department of Public Works and asked whether the DPW connection would be of value to Comcast.

The committee reported contact with a new Comcast representative, who suggested the week of Aug. 17 for an initial negotiation meeting; members tentatively agreed to meet on Aug. 20 and planned to review the outcome in September. "She suggested the week of August 17," the committee member said when reporting the representative's availability. The chair and member agreed to confirm whether the representative would attend in person and to secure a town room if an in-person meeting is feasible.

Members said they have not yet received a capital request list from North TV, which would be used to justify any capital-related demands to the company. The chair said once the committee compiles or receives capital justification materials, those would be shared with the town's attorney for legal review, as had happened in past negotiations with Verizon.

Committee members also discussed practical details they plan to raise in negotiations: the length of the license term (they questioned whether the decade-long term still applies), the exact channel allocation (a channel number, 2124, was mentioned in discussions about a community channel), and what, if any, capital trade-offs the committee is prepared to accept to reach its fee and technical goals.

The committee approved its May 14 minutes at the start of the meeting and later voted to adjourn; both procedural motions were seconded and carried by voice vote. The committee did not record any public comments at this meeting.

Next steps: the committee will confirm the Aug. 20 meeting with the Comcast representative, finalize any room booking for an in-person discussion, follow up with North TV for a capital request list, and meet in September to assess what was learned in the initial Comcast discussion.