City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2016
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
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Consideration of a Proposal to Secure an Additional Cable Television Franchise or Broadband Internet Franchise.
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ISSUE: The residential and business communities believe the lack of choice of cable television and broadband internet service providers negatively impacts their quality of life and ability to operate efficiently in Alexandria.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Direct the City Manager to proactively identify companies that would be interested in negotiating a cable television franchise or telecommunications franchise (for broadband internet) in the City of Alexandria that could leverage a City-owned fiber optic network; and
2. Direct the City Manager to bring forward to City Council an ordinance advertising for a new franchise agreement once an interested company or companies have been identified.
BACKGROUND: The City has received consistent feedback from the residential and business communities regarding the lack of competition in the cable television and broadband Internet sectors in Alexandria. There is currently a single cable television franchisee operating in Alexandria (Comcast), and a single land-line telecommunications franchisee (Verizon). As of April, the Finance Department (where the cable television administration function is housed) had received more than two times as many "Cable Franchise Complaint" tickets via Call.Click.Connect. than any other ticket type. While most of these are service-related complaints, many residents feel that the lack of competition gives the current cable television provider little incentive to deliver consistent, high-quality service. A second cable television provider would also likely be able to deliver broadband speeds signifi...
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