LOC News
2025 Franchise Agreement Survey Report Now Available
The LOC’s 2025 Franchise Agreement Survey finds that telecommunications and cable franchises remain some of the largest city revenue sources, but the average amount is declining. Larger cities generate substantially higher revenues, though smaller cities are becoming more proactive in adopting right-of-way and permit fees. Despite this, inflation-adjusted revenues from telecommunications and cable franchises have declined steadily since 2016—an annual loss of roughly $3,000 to $5,000 per franchise category. The findings suggest that franchise revenues, though vital to city budgets, are eroding in real value, and cities will need to adapt revenue frameworks to ensure fiscal sustainability in a changing digital landscape. The full report may be accessed here.
Franchise fee data from this survey is available on LOC-Data here.
Contact: Jayme Pierce, General Counsel – jpierce@orcities.org
Last Updated 6/20/25