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April 13, 2020, Meeting – Item 5 EUGENE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Public Hearing: An Ordinance Extending the Term of Ordinance No. 19775 and Ordinance No. 20397 Granting to Comcast of Oregon II, Inc. a Franchise for Operation of a Cable Telecommunications System. Meeting Date: April 13, 2020 Agenda Item Number: 5 Department: Central Services Staff Contact: Pam Berrian www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Numbers: 541-682-5590 ISSUE STATEMENT The purpose of this public hearing is to provide an opportunity for public comment regarding the proposed ordinance extending Comcast’s cable television franchise agreement until December 31, 2021. Without the extension, the franchise agreement will expire on June 30, 2020. This ordinance would only extend the term of the franchise; all other franchise terms and conditions would remain the same. BACKGROUND The Franchise City of Eugene, the City of Springfield, and Lane County together granted Comcast of Oregon II, Inc. (“Comcast”) a franchise for the operation of a cable communications system (Eugene Ordinance No. 19775). In 2007, the three entities amended and renewed Comcast’s franchise (Eugene Ordinance No. 20397) through August 1, 2018. The Extension to June 2020 The term of the franchise has since been extended, most recently by Ordinance No. 20606 enacted on November 13, 2018, which extended the franchise through June 30, 2020. That extension was necessary due to the fact that while Eugene, Springfield and Lane County staff had been negotiating in good faith with Comcast about the renewal terms and provided progress updates to the Cable Commission, delays occurred while staff tried to resolve a dispute with Comcast arising from a franchise fee review the jurisdictions conducted. That resulted in staff simultaneously dealing with fee review issues for the current franchise as well as trying to negotiate policy and operational terms for the franchise renewal. Delays also occurred due to the loss of Comcast personnel who had been working on the franchise renewal. At that time, staff were optimistic that a renewed agreement would be reached by June 2020. Attachment A is a table of negotiation issues, many of which had been tentatively agreed upon. However, two major hurdles remained unresolved: CC Agenda - Page 64