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Medford votes to OK AFN franchise deal By JESSICA SMITH Charter Communications wants to give Medford City Hall a high-speed connection to the Internet, but city leaders again lamented the cable company's inability to offer service earlier. At a meeting Thursday, the Medford City Council voted 4-2 to accept a franchise agreement with the Ashland Fiber Network that would give City Hall faster access to the Web. "I don't want to wait anymore. I don't want to wait for Charter," said Councilman John Michaels. "I'm ready to move ahead." The vote came two weeks after the council postponed action on the franchise agreement to respond to concerns from Charter. The company wanted a chance to bid on the City Hall agreement. "We're disappointed," said Bob Towe, Charter general manager, after Thursday's council vote. "The council had an opportunity to at least take a look at whether it can save some money for its constituency and it has decided not to do that." Charter presented its case at a study session last week - the company says it is ready to offer Internet access now - but representatives apparently were unable to persuade a majority of the council. The company announced plans to provide the service two years ago and has been building the system since then. Under terms of the agreement, AFN could install fiber lines to the downtown core to connect to the region's "point of presence" - the gateway to the Internet. The city would connect to AFN and waive up to $80,000 in franchise fees charged over five years for use of public rights of way. Charter officials who protested the deal said the cable company could provide the same service to City Hall under a similar, yet-to-be drafted franchise agreement. Company officials wanted to bid on the agreement. They said Charter service also costs less, though the amount of any potential savings was unclear. Towe said details about the costs would have been disclosed in the bidding process. Michaels and council members Bob Strosser, Ed Chun and Bill Moore voted to move the AFN agreement to a second reading. Councilman Skip Knight abstained from the vote, while members Sal Esquivel and Claudette Moore opposed the agreement. Councilwoman Moore and Esquivel supported the franchise agreement, but wanted to eliminate the high-speed Internet access provision to give the city a chance to further study Charter's services. The AFN agreement will be heard again at the council's July 5 meeting. Also in July, the city plans to request bids from contractors for high-speed Internet access to other municipal buildings. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.