Brimfield Select Board Approves Spectrum Deal at Full 5 Percent Franchise Fee Cap

Select Board · Meeting of July 17, 2026

Brimfield Select Board approves Spectrum franchise deal at 5 percent cap and eyes new town website vendor. The board voted unanimously at its July 17 meeting to accept a cable license agreement with Spectrum at the FCC-maximum 5 percent franchise fee, up from the previous 4.5 percent, with free cable drops to municipal buildings retained on a voluntary basis. Chair Martin Kelly framed the increase as essential to funding the town's part-time cable access coordinator position.

The board also approved two Opacum Land Trust Forest Legacy Program conservation restrictions, one on Prospect Hill Road, to be held by the town and monitored by the Conservation Commission, and one on John Haley Road, held by Opacum Land Trust, and set the cable access coordinator's hourly rate at $30.90, a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment paid entirely from franchise fee funds. Administrative Assistant Chris DeFalco was directed to gather two or three competing proposals for a new town website platform within two weeks, after describing a pattern of undisclosed security incidents and password resets by current vendor Civic Plus, with a contract break deadline of approximately October 1.

In the full story:

• National Grid Utility Pole Hearing, Apple Road
• Public Forum, Soliciting Concerns
• Approval of Meeting Minutes
• Committee Appointments
• Opacum Land Trust Forest Legacy Program
• Cable Access Coordinator Pay Rate
• The complete report, 2,463 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.