The city of Oxford recently renewed its cable television franchise agreement with MaxxSouth Broadband for the next 10 years.

Under the agreement, Oxford will collect 5 percent of gross revenues that MaxxSouth collects from local customers. Those funds are deposited into the city’s general fund.

The agreement also allows the provider the right to provide cable service and to construct, operate, and maintain a cable system in, upon, across, above over and under, streets, alleys, easements, and all public ways laid out or dedicated in the franchise area.

However, the cable company shall not place poles or other fixtures where the same will interfere with any gas, electric, or telephone fixtures, water hydrant, mains or public sewer lines, and all such poles or other fixtures placed in any street shall be placed in the right-of-way between the roadway and the property as directed by the city.

Included in the agreement are also provisions requiring a high level of customer service to Oxford customers, including giving customers reasonable notice when service needs to be interrupted for the purpose of making repairs or new installations. MaxxSouth is also required to maintain a local office in Oxford to allow customers to make payments, handle billing questions, replace equipment and other customer service duties. MaxxSouth is required to investigate all service complaints within 24 hours of receiving the complaints.

Contact information should be included on all bills.

The franchise agreement was approved by the Oxford Board of Aldermen on July 18. At that time, Alderman Janice Antonow said she would approve the agreement but wanted MaxxSouth to make their customer service contact information on bills larger and easier for people to find and read, as well as a number for customers to call the city if they feel their complaints or questions were not answered efficiently by MaxxSouth. A representative from MaxxSouth told the board they would accommodate Antonow’s request.

MaxxSouth also must provide the city with two cable channels to air local meetings for the city and the Oxford School District and provide basic cable television to city schools at no charge.

The city has a similar agreement with AT&T for its Uverse television service.

MaxxSouth purchased the cable company from Metrocast in 2014.