Middletown Township is set to renew cable franchise agreements with Verizon and Comcast.
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The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday to authorize advertisement of ordinances approving the new agreements.
Verizon’s contract will run for five years, while Comcast’s will extend for 10 years.
Assistant Township Manager Nick Valla said the agreements are largely similar to previous contracts, with updates to reflect evolving case law.
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“Really no significant changes,” Valla told the board. “Cable franchise fee, which is usually kind of one of the key areas of interest, is not staying, not changing at all, was at the maximum 5 percent and that’s not going to be changing.”
According to public records, the township made $881,000 in 2023 from the fee, which was down from just over $1 million in 2019.
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The fees are based on how many customers each company has, which has been falling as more people move away from using cable.
The differing contract lengths reflect each company’s preferences, according to Valla.
The assistant township manager said Comcast was amenable to the standard 10-year term, while Verizon has a policy of not allowing franchise agreements longer than five years.
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The agreements grant the companies access to township right-of-ways to install and maintain the infrastructure needed to provide cable services to Middletown residents.
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