News

Danvers selectmen to hold fiber-optic-TV license hearing

By Ethan Forman
Staff writer
Published: November 17, 2008

DANVERS — The town is inching closer to a deal to bring a second cable TV provider to residents.

"We are seeing daylight," Town Manager Wayne Marquis said about negotiations.

Over the past year, the Cable Television Advisory Committee and attorney Peter Epstein have been hammering out a license agreement with Verizon to bring a second cable TV franchise provider to town to compete with Comcast.

Selectmen will hold a public hearing on Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, giving residents the opportunity to sound off about Verizon FiOS, which stands for Fiber Optic Service.

Selectmen could make a decision that night on a license, Marquis said.

"Don't read too much into this," said Assistant Town Manager Diane Norris, who is working on the license with negotiators. "If we are not able to present something we all agree to, then the hearing will be canceled."

She wouldn't get into specifics.

"We made an agreement with them we don't want negotiations done in the press," she said.

The goal is to provide a service to residents over Danvers' rights of way, however, the town will have no say about rates. Marquis and Norris said the town has to provide a level playing field so that one cable license does not give one provider an advantage over another.

The outcome of the Verizon license could impact negotiations with Comcast as that company's license expires in 2011, Norris said.

"We are very close," Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro said. "Both sides expect to have the license sewn up very soon."

On the North Shore, FiOS TV is available in Boxford, Hamilton, Ipswich, Swampscott, Topsfield and Wenham, according to information Santoro provided. In late October, 84 Bay State communities had FiOS TV licenses.

Both companies are competing for what they call a triple play of voice, TV and Internet services for about $99 a month.