Mayor Urges Council to Advance Top BT Bids That Offer Big Wins for Taxpayers, BT Customers, and City

Notes Positive Impact KBTL Proposal and Engagement Has Brought to Process and Concerns about the Bid’s Viability; Supports Schurz and Ting/Tucows Advancing to Final Round

Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced his support for the City Council to advance to the final round the Schurz Communications and Ting/Tucows bids to purchase Burlington Telecom (BT).  After careful consideration of the three proposals before Council, as well as the opinions of the Burlington Telecom Advisory Board (BTAB) and the multiple professionals advising the City on this transaction, the Mayor noted that only the Ting/Tucows and Schurz proposals met all of the sales criteria developed by the public and approved by the City Council, and that these proposals offer significant benefits to taxpayers, BT customers, and the City.

“I appreciate the hard work of the KBTL Board and other volunteer supporters to present the City with an option for local ownership,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “KBTL’s focus on local issues throughout this process has helped shape the City’s goals and will positively impact BT’s future no matter which bid the City selects. Regrettably, however, the KBTL offer is simply not a viable option for the City to pursue. Selecting it would result in legal action and substantial taxpayer financial exposure, threaten to undo years of BT progress and put Burlington Telecom’s future on very uncertain footing. The KBTL focus on securing local benefits has improved the two very strong proposals from Ting and Schurz. These proposals would secure a bright future for BT, put the days of broadband monopoly behind us for good, lead to substantial reinvestment in our community, return millions of taxpayer dollars, and create the possibility of meaningful City ownership in the future company.”

Supporting materials:

10-10-17 Memorandum to the City Council regarding Burlington Telecom Finalists
10-10-17 Criteria Table Comparing Three Finalist Bids to Council-approved Sale Criteria
City of Burlington Summary of Burlington Telecom Proposals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2017
Contact:  Katie Vane 802.734.0617