The MHCRC's Role

Our Mission

The Mount Hood Cable Regulatory Commission (“MHCRC”) advocates for and protects the public interest in the regulation and development of cable communications systems in Multnomah County and the Cities of Fairview, Gresham, Portland, Troutdale and Wood Village; monitors and helps resolve cable subscribers concerns in these jurisdictions; and participates in the development and planning of future telecommunications technologies which make use of the public right of way.

Our Responsibilities

The MHCRC is made up of eight dedicated citizen volunteers, backed by professional office staff. The MHCRC was created by Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) among the cities of Fairview, Gresham, Portland, Troutdale, and Wood Village and Multnomah County (“Jurisdictions”) in an effort to provide enhanced public benefits from cable communications franchising and regulation, and economies of scale in its operation.

This unified regulatory commission carries out cable regulation by:

advising the Jurisdictions on decisions to grant cable franchises;
providing consumer protection for citizens and subscribers in cable television matters, including complaint resolution;
facilitating community and institutional uses of cable-based technologies and the Community Institutional Network;
allocating $1.4 million annually through a competitive grant program; and
participates in the development and planning of future telecommunications technologies which make use of the public right of way.

The MHCRC’s role as a public advocate is further driven by the fact that Comcast, the largest cable services provider in the country, and Verizon, a national telecommunications provider, are the only cable service providers in the MHCRC franchising area. In return for using the public right-of-way to provide its service for private profit, the cable companies have agreed to provide the community specific benefits.

The MHCRC plays a key role in negotiating the franchise agreements and these subsequent public benefits and in making sure Comcast and Verizon live up to their promises. The Commission also supports diverse and local content over all communications media and opposes media concentration.

MHCRC's FY2010-11 Goals & Objectives