DUXBURY - August 31, 2026 - Facing a proposed five-year cable television renewal license with Verizon New England that lacked complete written documentation for both the board and the public, the Duxbury Selectboard voted unanimously on Monday to continue its public hearing to September 14. While town legal counsel presented terms featuring a statutory maximum 5% gross revenue share and a doubled $90,000 capital grant, board members refused to take action without comparative regional data, clearer definitions around public input, and the physical presence of a Verizon company representative to answer resident service concerns.
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What was scheduled as an open public hearing to evaluate Verizon New England Inc.’s cable television renewal license quickly turned into a class in municipal oversight when the Selectboard discovered that no physical contract or packet materials had been delivered to the board or made available to the public.
Miranda Cecil, an associate attorney with town counsel KP Law appearing remotely on behalf of lead counsel Nicole Costanzo, presented an executive summary of the negotiated renewal terms. Under the proposed five-year agreement, Duxbury would secure the maximum allowable 5% of Verizon’s gross annual revenue to support local public, educational, and government (PEG) access channels, alongside an upfront capital grant of $90,000 paid out over five annual installments of $18,000. By comparison, the town’s 2020 renewal provided a $45,000 capital grant alongside the same 5% revenue agreement.
Town Manager René Read interjected early in the presentation to note that neither town officials nor residents had access to the contract text. “The problem is the public doesn’t know because the board doesn’t know either,” Read noted, recommending that the board defer action until complete documentation could be distributed.
Board members voiced sharp concerns over the broader structural shift toward cord-cutting and streaming services. Member Michael McGee emphasized that the 5% revenue cut is shrinking in real value as households abandon traditional cable packages for online apps. While Cecil noted that the $90,000 capital grant is not tied to subscriber volume—making it a more stable funding stream—McGee requested historical and regional comparisons from surrounding South Shore towns to confirm whether the offer was truly competitive.
Vice-Chair Fernando Guitart pressed legal counsel on how competition operates in a market where Comcast also provides cable service in Duxbury. Cecil explained that under the Federal Cable Communications Act, cable licensing is not an open competitive bidding process; instead, terms secured in the Verizon agreement establish an ascertainment baseline that Comcast (whose current license expires in 2031) will theoretically be pressured to match or exceed.
Selectboard member Brian Glennon highlighted the legal hearing notice published in the Duxbury Clipper, which explicitly stated the hearing’s purpose: assessing whether Verizon is in full compliance with its current license and identifying the town’s future cable-related needs. When discussion turned to the scope of public testimony, Guitart insisted that a Verizon corporate representative be required to attend the continued hearing in person.
“[I]f people are going to be now fully understanding what this is the opportunity is, I request that we have a Verizon representative present in the room so they can take any feedback from the public directly and respond to it...” — Fernando Guitart, Vice-Chair
Counsel agreed to coordinate attendance with Verizon, and the board voted 5-0 to continue the hearing to September 14 at 6:45 p.m.
