Cable Franchise Awards

The Independent Television Commission has awarded the local delivery franchise for Carlisle to the sole bidder Cumbria Cable & Telecoms Ltd. The cash bid for the Carlisle franchise was £1, supplementing the percentages of qualifying revenue set by the ITC. The Cumbria Cable & Telecom proposes to offer services to at least 35,000 homes by 1999.

The ITC has also awarded the local delivery franchise for Chichester and Bognor Regis to Sussex Cable and Telecoms Ltd. The cash bid for the franchise was £252,907 and there was one other applicant, NYNEX UK which offered a cash bid of £9.14. The winning applicant aims to provide services to at least 67,100 homes by the year 2001.

The third franchise to be awarded by the ITC at their meeting on the 16th November was for the local delivery licence for Shrewsbury which was awarded to Shropshire Cable & Telecoms. Only one other application was received by Cable Communications Shrewsbury. The company will provide services for at least 64,000 homes by the year 2000.

All three of the successful applicants are backed by the principals of US Cable Corporation, McNicolas Construction Ltd and Morgan Cable Ltd.

The ITC is also inviting applications for a local delivery franchise for Chesterfield which also covers the districts of Bolsover and North East Derbyshire. The advertised area comprises about 107,000 homes and applications must be submitted to the ITC by 12 February 1996.

ITC: 0171 255 3000.