Council approves transfer of Zipley franchise to BCE Holding Corp.; mayor authorized to sign consent letter

The College Place City Council voted to approve an ordinance consenting to transfer the city's telecommunications franchise from Zipley (also referred to as Zipfiber in the meeting) to BCE Holding Corporation, a U.S. subsidiary of Bell Canada’s corporate family, following a merger among the companies involved.

Mr. Ferguson summarized the background: Zipley requested the city’s consent after a corporate merger; because the original franchise was adopted by ordinance, the franchise transfer requires city consent. Mr. Ferguson explained staff had delayed the consent while outstanding permit issues were resolved and that the current packet included a letter for the mayor to sign granting consent under reasonable conditions.

He described the corporate chain laid out at the meeting: Zipley (the local franchisee) is related to Northwest Fiber, which is a subsidiary in the corporate structure; BCE Holding Corp. is described as a U.S. subsidiary tied to Bell Canada and publicly traded BCE Inc. Mr. Ferguson noted Jessica Eppley, vice president with Zipley, was referenced in the materials.

A motion to approve the ordinance authorizing the transfer was made, seconded and passed by voice vote. The ordinance was referred to in the meeting as "ordinance 20 six-two" (transcript spelling as read aloud); the meeting record also includes references to prior ordinance numbering ("20 22 dash 0 2 3") when discussing the original franchise adoption.

Councilors asked a few procedural questions about why the franchise was adopted by ordinance; Mr. Ferguson explained franchises are one of the rare subjects that must be done by ordinance and cannot be amended by resolution. The mayor was authorized to sign the consent letter as described in the packet.