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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESPONSE - RFP - 7466 CABLE TV FRANCHISE RENEWAL CONSULTING SERVICES4/1/2013 Proposal to Provide Cable TV Franchise Renewal Consulting Services to the City of Fort Collins, Colorado Telecommunications Resea April2 2013 The Right Team The combined experience of the team, makes us the right group to manage Fort Collins' cable television franchise renewal. c> Connie Book, Ph.D.: Telecommunications Research t� Tom and Bob Duchen: River Oaks Communications Tom Robinson: CBG Communications % Lou Karrison, CPA A team with years of working together to achieve positive results in cable television franchising. w 4c,rt :: 1 4/1 /2013, Review the City's plan for the review Task # 11- process; work with staff to modify the plan as appropriate. Hold a "kick-off' meeting to discuss project process, organizational concerns, issues and general goals. ®� • Overview of franchise renewal process 1 • Discuss organizational concerns/issues ®LDevelop • Identify goals • Discuss timetable nderstanding of laws and regulations proposed plan Project Team level on direction of project, tasks,able. Assist City staff with various review activities, including a community needs assessment, customer satisfaction survey, and public meetings. Communities of interest identification Needs Assessment Information Gathering Toolbox of methodology ➢ Surveys (written and web -based) ➢ Focus Groups/Discussions ➢ Long Interviews ➢ Social Media Tools ➢ Mavens and Media Collaborative survey design E-Town Halls and Face -to -Face Town Halls K 4/1 /2013 Task #3. Prepare a written plan for the renewal process, accompanied by a timeline. 1. Identifying Future Cable -Related Community Needs and Interests 2. Past Performance Review under existing franchise. ' Task'#3 3. Procedures Review of Comcast's Franchise and PEG Fees 4. Technical Evaluation of the cable system 5. Provide Legal and Policy Guidance on new franchise 6. Develop New Franchise Agreement s 1 Review existing Cable TV franchise agreement and current agreements with other communities and suggest additional elements that the City might wish to consider including ® in any new franchise agreement. Review and List Obligations (sample) Customer service requirements • PEG Access requirements • I -Net requirements, as pertinent Right -of -Way (ROW) requirements and conditions Task #4 Provision of cable drops and cable services • Franchise technical requirements • Availability of emergency override and emergency alert system capability • Review of gross revenues definition Reporting requirements • Level of insurance and bonding requirements • Local office •'? Required upgrades of the cable system 3 4/1 /2013 1 Attend and/or assist with negotiations with the Comcast Cable Tv Company as requested by the City. II Provide a technical review and engineering expertise for an evaluation of infrastructure, signal quality, system integrity, undergrounding, future capabilities, etc. I1. Review and Analyze Franchise I2. List Obligations & Chart for Evaluation 3. Review Customer Complaints & Resolutions to Verify Compliance of Customer Service Standards 4. Prepare Report on Performance of Franchise Obligations The Technical Review 1. Safety inspection of physical plant. 2. Testing of cable plant and FCC compliance review. ICI 3. System maintenance and reliability. I4. Ability to offer advanced services. 5. Comprehensive written. reports. .,. ML77777777::7 4/1/2013 Provide a financial audit including, but not limited to, j an evaluation of franchise and PEG fees. Typical Franchise Fee Audit Process • Preliminary Review and Preparation of Document request • Franchise Fee Review (Sample Activities) • Determination of revenue sources based on "gross' revenue definition • Ensuring all eligible revenue sources are accurately recorded by Comcast • Re -performing calculations used by Comcast for determining Franchise Fees • Franchise Fee and PEG Fee Report , Task #8: Provide guidance and assistance, as needed, regarding various regulatory requirements at the Federal and state level. iRiver Oaks has worked closely with the City and County in cable franchise renewal and in Comcast negotiations. River Oaks worked closely with the City to perform needs assessments tasks in the prior franchise renewal negotiation. Task #9: Attend various meetings and events to discuss aspects Ilof the proposed franchise agreement with the City Staff, City Council work sessions, Council hearings, necessary _ (public meetings, etc. River Oaks is based in Centennial and • Colorado Springs. The team is committed to being present and Task #8/9 ' to delivering the scope of services outlined in thie nrnnnenl .. 5 4/1/2013 0