City Council Hopes To Have Agreement On Comcast Franchise By End Of The Year
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Comcast is sure to get another 15 year franchise to provide cable and internet in Philadelphia, but the exact terms are still being worked out. City council got input on the process in a marathon public hearing, last week.
More than 100 people testified over the course of several hours, last Thursday, both Comcast and its fans, who said the company has served the city well, and advocacy groups and disgruntled customers, who said it could do much more.
For Comcast, lobbyist Kathleen Sullivan, noted the city gets about 16 million dollars a year in franchise fees.
"And we have also made other substantial contributions to Philadelphia through our taxes and our general activity."
But consumer advocates like Todd O'Boyle of Common Cause demanded better customer protections.
"Philadelphia Comcast customers reported the lowest levels of satisfaction," says O'Boyle, "describing their service as, quote, terrible, horrible and lousy."
Council members seemed most interested in getting more service for low-income people, through expansion of the 'internet essentials" program. They hope to have an agreement by the end of the year.
