City Council April 30 Meeting Summary

City Manager Steve Buck reads public testimony regarding Breezeline into the record.

Photo: City of Sanford

By Renée Morin

City officials heard a variety of comments about Breezeline, most of them negative, during a public hearing on April 30 devoted to the city’s franchise agreement with the cable, internet and phone service provider.

Over the course of the hearing, the city compiled in-person testimony and presented letters and electronic comments regarding Sanford-Springvale residents’ personal experience with Breezeline, and its services.

Some residents expressed favorable views of the company, but City Manager Steve Buck said about two-thirds of the electronic comments were negative.

Common complaints concerned bundling of cable and internet services, frequent outages, slow restoration of service, dissatisfaction with rented equipment, and unsatisfactory customer service.

One of the most common complaints was about pricing, but Buck said that is at the discretion of the company, not the city. Buck also brought up the loss of the French language channel but stated that is within the purview of the channel provider, not Breezeline.

These experiences were not universal, however. There were several positive testimonials citing good coverage, helpful employees and limited outages. Some residents expressed satisfaction with the price.

The end of the hearing, Breezeline Director of Government Affairs Fran Bradley thanked Buck for the opportunity to receive residents’ feedback. In addition, Bradley said, “It is our goal to be the best provider of all three of the services that we provide – internet, telephone, and video, and we want to be a partner with the city and look forward to a long-lasting relationship.”

The current franchise agreement is set to expire July 31, 2026.