Cable Competition May Be Coming to Columbus

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — Cable television may get some competition in Columbus.

CableOne has filed a proposal for another 25-year franchise contract to serve Columbus customers. Meanwhile, AT&T also has filed a proposal for a 10-year contract to provide its new high-speed cable, phone and Internet service.

The Columbus City Council Tuesday night agreed to hire a consultant to negotiate with both companies on their contracts, which would begin next June.

The city currently gets about $219,000 a year from the 5 percent franchise fee from CableOne but city leaders think the consultant may help find a better deal both with Cable One and AT&T.

The consultant’s fees total $12,000, but city officials hope those can be paid through negotiations with the two companies.