BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Common Council has released its agenda for its December 23 meeting and it's expected the council will vote whether to approve the new "Fiber Optic License Agreement" template.
2 On Your Side has been reporting for weeks about the status of broadband internet in the city of Buffalo and officials are poised to update an agreement that hasn't been touched in decades.
This new agreement would allow for multiple internet providers in the City of Buffalo.
The Department of Public Works issued the new agreement on December 2. At a legislative committee meeting of the council, acting public works commissioner Michael Finn said the new agreement was modeled after other "similar-sized" cities - but at the time wouldn't specify those model cities.
The Common Council tabled the vote on that agreement on December 3 after a consultant for Crosslake Fibre expressed concerns in a public comment over the proposed fee structure the city was recommending in the new franchise agreement. Crosslake Fibre had submitted an application to the city to run a fiber line from Wilson, NY into the city and had not received a response from the city of Buffalo in over 15 months.
“The company had to bypass Buffalo, it’s originally planned US hub, because it has been unable to secure an agreement with the city,” said Sean Meegan from Pioneer Consulting, representing Crosslake Fibre during the December 3 meeting.
If the Common Council approves the franchise agreement template, the recently announced Greenlight Networks project could move forward - once the company and city sign the franchise.
The new franchise agreement proposes a fee structure of $6,000 for the first 12,000 feet of fiber installed and $1 per foot after that.
Multiple sources looking to bring more fiber-based internet options into the City of Buffalo told 2 On Your Side that they were concerned with that structure, saying it was "quite aggressive" compared to other cities.
The Buffalo Common Council meeting on December 23 happens at 2 p.m. in council chambers.