Extend cable deals, city attorney says

The City Council should extend its two cable television franchise agreements until June 19, the city attorney says, as negotiations continue under the shadow of a pending state law that will require video service providers to apply for statewide franchise agreements.

City Attorney Fred Boeckmann has written two bills that would extend the city’s current franchise agreements with Mediacom and Charter Communications.

The bills, which were introduced at the council’s Monday meeting, come shortly after Gov. Matt Blunt signed into law the bill that requires video service providers to apply to the Missouri Public Service Commission for statewide franchises instead of filing with individual cities.

Cities can still work out franchise agreements until the bill takes effect Aug. 28, but Boeckmann said in a memo to the council that the bill has “significantly affected the franchise renewal negotiations with Mediacom.”

“Under the bill, they have the option of not renewing the franchise and going with the PSC,” Boeckmann said. “We’ve had, since the bill passed, two phone conferences with them, and basically I think they don’t know and we don’t know what we’re going to be doing.”

Boeckmann said Columbia’s franchise agreement with Mediacom has been essentially the same for 30 years, but the city was proposing “significantly different” terms this time around, especially relating to funding for public, education and government access channels.

“But once the (state) bill passed, there was little incentive to pass an agreement that had stricter terms than what was called for in the legislation,” Boeckmann said.

The new law will require cable companies that have franchise agreements with cities to provide public access funding through 2011 or until the end of their agreement, whichever comes first. Language in the bill suggests that cable providers will be able to opt out of their city franchises once the law goes into effect, but the legality of that option remains unclear.

Boeckmann said the 60-day franchise extension was suggested by Mediacom, with which the city is negotiating before entering discussions with Charter. Negotiations are continuing because both the city and Mediacom want to continue exploring the options available, Boeckmann said.

The city would like to see a franchise agreement directly with Columbia before the state law takes effect instead of having Mediacom go to the state.

“At this point, all I can really say is that we’re still talking with the city,” said Randy Hollis, senior manager of government relations at Mediacom. He declined to say if Mediacom had any plans to go to the state for a franchise agreement.

The council is scheduled to vote on the extensions April 16.