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City Council recently introduced an ordinance that would grant Comcast a franchise to compete with Breezeline in providing cable TV service.
Such competition is likely to lead to better prices and better service for local residents, based on the experience of other communities, as presented in cable competition reports produced by the Federal Communications Commission, according to a member of the law firm that negotiated the deal.
"It should be a benefit to residents and businesses," said Dan Cohen of the Cohen Law Group in Pittsburgh, "a very positive thing."
The Cohen group negotiated with Comcast on a variety of issues to produce the proposed franchise agreement, working for a consortium of local municipalities: Altoona, Logan Township, Hollidaysburg, Antis Township, Duncansville and Frankstown Township.
Those issues include the franchise fee, which is limited by law to 5% of the company's gross revenues -- for cable services only and not including revenues for internet or phone services, despite those coming through the same lines that Comcast will install, according to Cohen.
Those issues include right-of-way protections for municipalities, customer service standards, enforcement measures, reporting requirements and the company's provision of an education and government channel, Cohen said.
The provisions for right-of-way protection cover repairs and restoration of facilities in the streets, what areas will be served, maps of those areas and indemnity and insurance issues.
Customer service standards take up five or six pages, single-spaced, in the agreement, according to Cohen. They cover how long customers will need to wait on the phone if they have a problem, how long they will need to wait at home for a repair tech to arrive and billing issues, Cohen said.
Enforcement provisions, including fines, are part of the agreement in case the company commits violations, Cohen said.
Reporting requirements cover how many complaints customers make, how the company resolves those complaints and how many repair requests the company receives.
The 1984 Cable Act designates municipalities as cable compliance authorities.
"These municipalities take that seriously," he said.
The municipalities that Cohen has been representing have asked Cohen's group to ensure that the agreements are "substantially similar" to the ones under which Breezeline has been working, so that there would be no suggestion of favoritism, Cohen said.
Comcast has until recently been known as an "incumbent" cable provider, rather than one that moves into areas already served by another provider, Cohen said.
At the national level, there has been an increase in cable providers moving in that manner into areas already served.
That has occurred as the federal government has made lots of money available for broadband expansion through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Cohen said -- without claiming knowledge about Comcast's motivation for moving into Blair.
Comcast has not said much about that move.
"We look forward to bringing our Xfinity and Comcast Business products to the cCity of Altoona and Logan Township, pending franchise agreements," was company spokesman Bob Grove's response to a recent request for information about the firm's buildout plans for the city.
The Logan Township supervisors will consider their franchise agreement with Comcast Thursday.
Hollidaysburg is in possession of its proposed agreement, according to Cohen. Duncansville has already approved its agreement, while Antis and Frankstown township decisions on their agreements are on hold pending further moves by Comcast.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.