Beacon council opens public hearing on proposed Verizon FiOS TV franchise

The Beacon City Council opened a public hearing July 6 on a proposed five-year franchise agreement with Verizon of New York to provide FiOS TV service in the city. City staff explained the hearing is required by state and federal rules to assess the potential operator’s ability to serve community needs, signal quality, consumer complaint handling and related issues.

Pamela Goldstein, who identified herself as an associate general counsel at Verizon, told the council she has worked on cable franchising for over 20 years and that, if granted, the franchise would require confirmation by the New York State Public Service Commission before Verizon could begin offering cable service under the agreement. Goldstein said Verizon already provides broadband and phone service in areas of the city and that at present the company has no plan to expand coverage beyond the portion of customers currently served; the agreement is for a five-year term with potential renewal. Staff said the city must ensure terms are not more favorable than existing franchise agreements and that Optimum (the incumbent) has been provided a copy of the proposed agreement for comment.

Council members and residents asked whether Verizon would commit to expanding coverage; Goldstein said she was not aware of current plans to grow the network. A public question also asked who profits from an unrelated cellular tower lease on a recently sold municipal building; staff clarified the lease proceeds went to the property owner and are not part of the Verizon franchise issue. The council closed the public hearing by motion and agreed to continue negotiations and workshop discussion before taking any resolution.