Comcast won’t be the only option for cable in Solebury Township soon.
Supervisors unanimously approved a franchise agreement this month, allowing Verizon Pennsylvania LLC to establish a cable television franchise in the township.
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The agreement, officials said, could introduce more competition in a market long served by Comcast. Verizon already provides data services in portions of Solebury, officials said but did not previously have a township cable television franchise.
“This is actually just cable,” township Manager Christopher Garges clarified during the meeting.
Asked whether the agreement would increase competition for television programming, township solicitor Mark Freed said it would “certainly bring another provider for cable into the township.”
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Supervisors expressed hope that competition could eventually benefit customers.
“Including an additional cable system provider will provide more competition in the cable TV sector,” Supervisor Kevin Morrissey said. “In a world where it seems there are many areas in our life are becoming more expensive, my hope is that this will translate to a lower video cost to Solebury residents.”
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Supevisors Chair Mark Baum Baicker responded that competition “doesn’t hurt.”
The agreement, however, should not be interpreted as an immediate expansion of Verizon service to every Solebury household: Officials said Verizon is not currently proposing to extend its infrastructure into additional geographic areas beyond where it already provides data service.
The franchise includes provisions governing when service must be provided based on factors including distance from existing infrastructure and the number of homes in an area.
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A member of the public also asked whether the ordinance meant expansion of Verizon fiber-optic service.
Officials said it did not.
“This would just be cable television, and fiber optics would be separate from that,” the resident said in clarifying the issue, which township representatives confirmed.
Supervisors unanimously adopted the Verizon franchise ordinance following the public hearing.
At the same meeting, Solebury also began a separate public process involving its longtime cable provider, Comcast.
The township’s Comcast franchise is currently within its normal renewal window.
Unlike Verizon’s new franchise, the Comcast process is governed by federal requirements providing an opportunity for residents to comment on the company’s past performance and the township’s future cable-related needs.
Township officials said franchise negotiations can address customer service standards, service to community facilities, reporting requirements, franchise fees, public, educational and government channels, capital support and protections involving public rights of way.
The two proceedings therefore remain at different stages: Verizon now has township authorization for a new cable franchise, while negotiations over renewal of Comcast’s existing franchise continue.
