About the Office of Cable Communications
Established in 1976, the Office of Cable Communications (OCC) has overall responsibility for issues related to cable television and cable Internet service for Seattle residents. The Office oversees the City's non-exclusive cable television franchises with Comcast and Broadstripe (formerly known as Millennium Digital Media) through enforcement of the franchise agreements, with an emphasis on citizen concerns.
Cable Consumer Protection
The OCC investigates and mediates consumer/cable company issues and enforces the Cable Customer Bill of Rights (CCBOR). Adopted in 1999, the CCBOR established minimum standards for cable companies operating in Seattle, and procedures and penalties if those standards are not met. In 2002, amendments to the CCBOR strengthened these protections and added the strongest cable privacy protections in the country.
Specific Functions of the Office of Cable Communications Include:
- Monitoring and enforcing compliance with Seattle's cable franchises
- Regulating basic rates as permissible under federal law
- Negotiating and administering franchise agreements, franchise renewals and transfers as necessary with incumbent providers and new entrants
- Auditing franchise fee payments
- Ensuring provision of public access television and overseeing the contract with Seattle Community Access Network
- Resolving all concerns and complaints between citizens and the cable companies
- Administering the Cable Customer Bill of Rights
- Preparing reports, recommendations and analyses to inform elected officials, the public, and the media about cable and telecommunications issues
- Representing the City in long term telecommunications planning efforts with local and federal regulatory agencies, and Seattle's Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board
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