Milton OKs new Comcast franchise agreement

A new franchise agreement between Milton and Comcast Cable Communications LLC should ultimately result in increased revenues for the city, officials say. AJC FILE

A new franchise agreement between Milton and Comcast Cable Communications LLC should ultimately result in increased revenues for the city, officials say. AJC FILE

The Milton City Council has voted to approve a new franchise agreement with Comcast Cable Communications LLC.

An audit by the Georgia Municipal Association discovered that Milton’s prior agreement with Comcast expired Dec. 1, 2016. GMA on the city’s behalf negotiated a new agreement “that will ultimately have a positive impact on our revenue stream,” Assistant City Manager Stacey Inglis said in a memo to the council.

Certain fees, such as for advertising, the home shopping network and late fees, previously were excluded from the gross revenue calculation used to determine what Comcast owed to the city. Now, they are included.

The new franchise agreement runs for 10 years. Among its provisions, it calls for a cable system capable of providing more than 250 channels of video programming, delivered by analog, digital or other technologies, and Comcast paying a franchise fee of 5 percent of gross revenues.