Does Fairfax County regulate cable rates?

Fairfax County regulates rates for the basic tier of cable television service and related charges for equipment and installation. The basic tier channels include the local area broadcast channels, public, educational, and governmental access channels, and other channels that the cable operator chooses. The rates for other tiers of cable service are not regulated. If you have questions about basic tier rates, contact Cable Regulation or call 703-324-5902, TTY 711.

What do the “franchise fees” and “Public, Educational and Government (PEG) support” charges on my cable bill mean?

Fairfax County’s cable franchise agreements require the cable operators to pay for the use of the public right-of-ways through franchise fees and support for Public, Educational and Government (PEG) cable channels. The federal law allows the cable operators to pass on these fees to subscribers. A portion of these fees goes to support Channel 16, the Fairfax County government channel, and the government institutional network.

Do I have a choice of cable providers?

The county issues only non-exclusive franchises for cable television service. The Board of Supervisors revised the County Code to make it easier for competitive cable service providers to enter the market. Fairfax County currently administers two cable franchises. Comcast Cable provides cable television service to subscribers in the Reston area of Fairfax County and Cox Communications provides cable television service to subscribers in all other areas of the county.

Where can I find the cable franchise agreements and county ordinance pertaining to cable regulation?

Cox Communications Franchise Agreement
Comcast Cable Franchise Agreement
Verizon Cable Franchise Agreement
Fairfax County Communications Ordinance