The PEG Fee was negotiated as part of our franchise agreement with TCI Cable (now Comcast) for construction of a fiber optic network that services 300 different sites throughout unincorporated King County. The Institutional Network (I-Net) interconnects and enhances video, data, and voice communication between our schools, libraries, government buildings, and fire stations.

The Franchise Fee or Rights of Way (ROW) Fee is a charge the cable company pays King County in order to use our roads to lay their cable and provide cable TV service to subscribers in our community. This fee is based on 5 percent of the revenue collected by the cable company. Federal cable legislation allows the cable companies to pass on this fee to their customers.

Comcast offers a 30 percent discount (or about $5) on its Limited Basic cable service (the lowest tier of cable TV service offered) to low-income senior citizens (65 years or older) or those who have a permanent disability living in unincorporated King County.

To be eligible, a resident cannot earn more than $35,200 total per household per year. Customers can subscribe to more than one service package, but the Low-Income Discount only applies to the price of the Limited Basic tier of TV service; it doesn’t apply to Internet or telephone services.

If you are on a promotional or introductory rate, you will not receive this discount until the promotional rate period has ended. If you think you are qualified to receive a low income discount, contact the Office of Cable Communications.

Each municipality within King County has its own Franchise Agreement with the cable companies that serve their area. Each of those agreements has different terms and conditions. The Franchise Agreement between King County and Comcast applies only to unincorporated King County. OCC enforces compliance with that Franchise Agreement.

If you live within the city limits of one of the cities in King County, the cable office in that city will assist you as it enforces compliance with the franchise agreement covering your neighborhood.

Here is a list of cable offices in Western Washington .

Comcast Cable Communications Inc.

900 132nd Street SW
Everett, WA 98204
Customer Service 1-877-824-2288 or 1-888-COMCAST (1-888-266-2278)

WAVE Broadband (formerly Broadstripe)

401 Parkplace Center #500
Kirkland, WA 98033
Customer Service 1-866-928-3123

As a cable customer in unincorporated King County, we can assist you in resolving billing or service disputes you may have with the cable company. If you meet the eligibility requirement, OCC will assist you in receiving a senior or disabled discount.

The OCC can also answer all questions you may have regarding the Franchise Agreement that King County has with your cable company. These questions may include issues regarding programming, customer service, and our Institutional Network (I-NET).

About us

Cable Communications was established in 1986 to negotiate, monitor, and enforce the rules set forth in the cable television franchises held by cable TV companies operating in unincorporated King County (outside city limits).

We collect a franchise fee of 5 percent of gross revenues from the cable companies for their use of the County's rights-of-way. In 2015, $3.13 million in franchise fees was collected and deposited into the County's General Fund.