Minutes - Council - 11/22/2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

7. COUNCIL BUSINESS 7.01: Consider Introduction of Ordinance #16-14 Granting a Franchise Agreement to Qwest Broadband Services, Inc. D/B/A CenturyLink, to Construct, Operate and Maintain a Cable System in the City of Ramsey City Administrator Ulrich reviewed the staff report and recommendation for the Council to introduce the ordinance granting a cable television franchise to Qwest Broadband Services, Inc. D/B/A CenturyLink, with final adoption of such ordinance scheduled for December 13, 2016. Karen George, Executive Director of QCTV, stated that the Quad Cities Cable Communication Commission has been negotiating a franchise agreement with CenturyLink on behalf of the member cities it represents. She provided a highlight of the information included in the proposed franchise agreement. Patrick Haggerty, CenturyLink, stated that this is proposed to be the second wire line cable provider to come into Ramsey in the past 30 years. He thanked the QCCCC for their cooperation and noted that the Commission attorney has also been great to work with. Councilmember LeTourneau asked how this would be rolled out and how residents would be notified of availability and the timeline. Mr. Haggerty stated that initially CenturyLink has agreed to roll out the product to 15 percent of households within the first two years and highlighted the additional build -out terms included in the franchise agreement. He stated that CenturyLink will use the existing infrastructure to the extent possible. He stated that the initial build -out will exceed 15 percent and noted that the success of the roll out will determine the speed of additional households being made available. He noted that direct mailing would be done to customers that would have the service available to their household. He advised that residents can go onto the CenturyLink website to view availability and request notification when service is available. He noted that the timeline would be based on the success. Motion by Councilmember LeTourneau, seconded by Councilmember Williams, to introduce Ordinance #16-14 granting a Franchise to Qwest Broadband Services, Inc. D/B/A CenturyLink to construct, operate and maintain a cable system in the City of Ramsey, Minnesota. Further discussion: Councilmember Kuzma asked if this product would directly compete with Comcast and asked if there would be a buy-out clause for those customers under contract. Mr. Haggerty confirmed that this would be direct competition with Comcast. He stated that they are not proposing a buy-out clause for customers that have current contracts with Comcast. He noted that CenturyLink would be providing very good rates. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Mayor Strommen, Councilmembers LeTourneau, Williams, Johns, Kuzma, Riley, and Shryock. Voting No: None. City Council / November 22, 2016 Page 5 of 10