City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: DECEMBER 4, 2025
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: EMILY A. BAKER, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER AND INTERIM DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
DOCKET TITLE:
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Introduction of an Amendment to the License Agreement with Cox Virginia Telecom to Permit Cox Virginia Telecoms to Install Additional Conduits and Fiber Optic Cables in the City of Alexandria’s Public Rights-of-way
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ISSUE: Consideration of an amendment to the License Agreement with Cox Virginia Telecom to permit the installation of additional conduits and fiber optic cables in the City’s public rights-of-way.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council set this matter for a public hearing on December 9th, 2025, and after hearing public testimony approve the attached amendment to the license agreement with Cox, and authorize the City manager to execute the amendment and to take any other actions that are necessary to implement the amendment.
BACKGROUND: Cox Virginia Telecom was originally granted a license agreement in March 2019 to install conduit and fiber optic facilities in the City public rights-of-way to provide telecommunications services. Cox currently maintains and operates approximately five miles of fiber infrastructure in Alexandria constructed under the existing agreement. In 2024 Council renewed the underlying agreement for an additional five-year term which runs through March 31 2029.
Cox has now requested approval to install additional facilities in the public rights-of-way. This amendment authorizes the installation of approximately 6,297 feet of new conduit fiber and associated handholes to support expansion of service within the City. The new line is proposed to provide telecommunications service to the new INOVA hospital facility that is being constructed at the Landmark Mall redevelopment site. All other terms of the existing license remain unchanged. Future facility installation requests beyond this scope will continue to require City approval.
DISCUSSION: The present amendment allows for the installation of an additional 6,297 feet of conduit, fiber, and handholes in the City. The other essential terms of the existing License remain in effect and unchanged.
The essential aspects of the Agreement are as follows: The term of five years extends until March 31, 2029, and is not renewable. As compensation for use of the public rights-of-way the City receives the statutory rights-of-way fee imposed under Virginia Code § 56.468.1 and City Code § 5-2-160, et seq. The agreement requires Cox to submit an Annual Operations Plan to T&ES for each of the five years covered by the agreement. The operations plan requires Cox to describe all the activities to install the conduit and to pull cable that Cox intends to undertake in the public rights-of-way during the twelve month period covered by the plan, the sites where any activity in the public rights-of-way will occur and a tentative timetable. The director of T&ES must review the plan and determine whether the public rights-of-way upon which the construction is planned are appropriate sites for the proposed activity.
The Agreement additionally requires Cox, prior to undertaking any specific project within the rights-of-way to submit to T&ES, a plan which, among other things, will (i) identify the location of the project, (ii) describe the equipment to be installed and the techniques to be used, (iii) state the start and end dates, (iv) propose a traffic control plan and (v) verify that Cox has or will obtain all necessary approvals from other governmental entities including departments or agencies of the City. The City can require Cox to remove or relocate, at Cox’s expense- to the extent permitted by law- any conduits, cables or other equipment when City staff has determined that the equipment interferes with or disturbs the operation, improvement, repair or maintenance of the rights-of-way or of other utility services. The agreement further requires Cox to obtain permits from the City for any maintenance work and to repair all damages resulting from the work, and provides that upon its termination or non-renewal, Cox will remove all of its conduits, cable and other equipment from the City’s rights-of-way. Finally, the agreement provides that Cox must maintain adequate insurance to protect the City and any residents against claims arising from the system or the company’s work on the system.
FISCAL IMPACT: The Cos license amendment requests an additional 6,297 linear feet of conduit. Ath the established rate of $3.50 per linear foot per yard, the annual license revenue from this amendment is about $22,000 to the City.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Cox renewed 5-year license agreement 2024
Attachment 2: Cox License Amendment 2
Attachment 3: INOVA Landmark Duke St - Path 1
STAFF:
Bryan P. MacAvoy, Assistant City Attorney
Alex Boulden, Interim Deputy Director of Engineering and Right-of-Way, T&ES