Public's views to be sought on Philly's Comcast cable pact

Comcast Corp.'s Philadelphia cable-TV franchise agreement expires in late 2015. City officials say they will seek public comments over the next year as they negotiate a renewal with the nation's largest cable operator.

Currently, Comcast offers TV, Internet, and phone services in the city.

"A lot has happened in the last 15 years, and there is a lot to talk about," said Steven Robertson, deputy chief innovation officer for the city. "It's the beginning of the discussion."

The negotiations will be handled through the Office of Innovation and Technology. City Council will have to approve a renewal.

The only other company with a cable-TV franchise in Philadelphia is Verizon Communications Inc., for its FiOS TV and Internet services.

One hearing, at a minimum, will be scheduled as part of the Comcast franchise-renewal, and the city will survey residents separately, Robertson said.

Comcast spokesman Jeff Alexander said Monday: "We strongly value our relationship with our customers and the long-standing partnership we have with the City of Philadelphia, and look forward to a productive franchise-renewal process."

By federal law, the maximum amount the city can collect as a franchise fee is 5 percent of Comcast cable-TV revenues. Philadelphia collected $17.5 million in fee receipts in fiscal 2012 from Comcast. The city does not collect franchise fees on Internet services.

The last Comcast cable-TV franchise renewal, negotiated in 1999, was for 15 years, Robertson said. The trend among municipalities is for agreements of 10 years, he said.

The most frequent consumer complaints relate to Comcast's billing and set-top-box operability, he said.

Feedback on Comcast may be submitted online at www.phila.gov/cablefranchises or by e-mail at citizenfeedback@phila.gov.