Cablevision Public Hearing Set For August

Village of Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri announced at the Board of Trustees meeting on Monday that the public hearing on the renewal of the Cablevision franchise agreement will be held at the next meeting on Aug. 22.

According to Village Attorney Brian Egan, the agreement requires a public hearing under the Public Village Commission Law, a discussion that is held every 10 years from the contract’s effective date.   

Patchogue Village residents questioned the accessibility of other services, including Verizon Fios.

Egan said the choice to break from the pending contract was a major business decision on Verizon’s part and the Board is unaware of the company’s rationale.

“We had substantially negotiated the Fios agreement, but Verizon made the decision not to provide services to Patchogue. Verizon pulled the contract back and didn’t want to enter into a franchise agreement with [Patchogue] or with Brookhaven either, I believe,” Egan said. 

Despite the lack of service choices, Egan and the Board are expecting minimal criticism from residents regarding the renewal.    

The meeting will be held on Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at .