Township renews five‑year cable franchise with Verizon, preserves 5% fee and strengthens oversight

Staff described the negotiated five‑year Verizon cable‐franchise renewal, noting county‑consortium legal assistance in the process and the challenge of negotiating in a market with cord‑cutting. The agreement keeps the township’s 5% franchise fee (the transcript notes that is the maximum allowed), expands the definition of feeable services to protect local revenue, and strengthens audit rights and remedies for underpayment, including accelerated access to records and daily fines for noncompliance.

The renewal also preserves free basic cable service to schools and municipal buildings, retains the township’s ability to operate local educational/government channels and introduces customer‑service commitments such as improved call answering standards, appointment windows and outage credits. The board moved and approved the ordinance renewing the franchise by voice vote.

Staff said federal law limits the ability to collect fees from streaming services; the agreement therefore focuses on protections and remedies within the scope of permitted cable franchise revenues and service obligations.