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Council weighs franchise agreement for Comcast versus citywide ordinance on right‑of‑way access
Summary
City staff reported Comcast's interest in a franchise agreement to bring service to Mount Angel; several councilors favored drafting an ordinance governing rights‑of‑way to apply to all providers rather than granting a franchise to a single company.
City staff briefed the council on multiple approaches to allowing cable and broadband providers access to Mount Angel rights-of-way. Staff reported Comcast has repeatedly requested a franchise agreement to deliver service and that the company is negotiating similar agreements with nearby cities.
The city attorney advised two paths: adopt an ordinance that governs access to streets and rights-of-way (a generally applicable rule for all providers), or negotiate separate franchise agreements with specific vendors as done in the past. Several councilors said they preferred an ordinance to ensure all providers are subject to the same rules and to avoid giving one company an advantage. One councilor said, "I don't want to give Comcast a leg up if we wrote an ordinance for them... But with the franchise agreement attached to it, that makes sense," and others noted existing franchises with Northwest Natural and other utilities.
City staff said they would consult the city attorney, explore doing both an ordinance and franchise language if appropriate, and return to the council with options at a future meeting. The matter remains at the direction-and-research stage rather than formal action at this meeting.
