Philadelphia's Agreement With Comcast Causes City Envy In Seattle
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia's groundbreaking franchise agreement with Comcast has forced the cable giant to sweeten its deal with Seattle. Seattle's city council demanded parity with the Philadelphia deal.
Philadelphia city council, last week, took negotiations for the 15-year franchise agreement to the wire to win an expansion of low-cost internet, living wage guarantees and public tech school partnerships.
Not to be outdone, Seattle's city council threatened to cancel its vote on a ten-year agreement unless it got the same deal, despite the fact that its 3,000 miles away from the company's Philadelphia home.
Seattle didn't get everything Philadelphia got, but it did get additional low-cost internet and free hook-ups for city government and nonprofits.
Neither Comcast nor Seattle city officials were available for comment. But one City Hall wag joked that perhaps it's time Philadelphia to demand discounted coffee from Starbucks.