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Item No. 17 <br />Memorandum <br />TO: City Council <br />Grayson Path, City Manager <br />FROM: Stephanie H. Harris, City Attorney <br />SUBJECT: SUDDENLINK COMMUNICATIONS <br />DATE: January 25, 2021 <br />BACKGROUND: Several Council Members have been receiving complaints regarding <br />Suddenlink Communications, a local provider of cable television and high speed internet services. <br />Complaints range from interruptions in service or poor quality service to an inability to obtain <br />satisfactory customer service or even to reach a person on the phone with whom to lodge a <br />complaint. Mayor Pro Tem Portugal has asked staff to look into whether there is anything the city <br />can do to require Suddenlink to provide better product service and customer service. <br />STATUS OF ISSUE: The city no longer has a franchise agreement with Suddenlink because the <br />state, in Chapter 66 of the Texas Utilities Code, has preempted the ability of cities to negotiate <br />franchise fees with such companies. Instead, Chapter 66 controls the amount a city can receive in <br />franchise fees. As for the regulation of services themselves, as distinguished from franchise fee <br />rates, such regulation is reserved to the Federal Communications Commission under federal law, <br />and thus the city has no regulatory authority over Suddenlink. According to the Public Utility <br />Commission of Texas, <br />The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has regulatory oversight over long <br />distance phone service, wireless service, including pager and cell phone services, and cable <br />television service. You can contact the FCC's Consumer Information Bureau by calling toll- <br />free at 1-888-225-5322. <br />FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Website 11P.:illr_- ;a��u�/_�air��ip°�i��. aM� <br />w ,�°u�:�u����ifi-.� al0'��: ��irS lbloa-V�-iiia, n� ,i-����locl��-.4, <br />Information I p I poen �^ y' filing <br />` ap complaint <br />omplaint with the FCC can be found at: <br />