Cable Television Resources

If there is an immediate public safety threat, such as live wires, call 9-1-1. If lines have fallen from power or telephone poles, avoid touching them and call Dominion Energy at 866-DOM-HELP (866-366-4357). The call center is staffed 24×7. To contact cable providers about this issue, use the below information. Please note that these are automated call centers.

• Comcast/Xfinity: 1-800-934-6489  (1-800-XFINITY)
• Verizon: 1-888-553-1555

The County’s Department of Environmental Services must issue a permit for the removal of dangling or downed wires; however, the County has no legal authority to remove any wires directly. The County’s franchise agreements provide very limited enforcement mechanisms that the County can use.

If the utilities are not responsive or the issue is not resolved in a timely manner, email cable@arlingtonva.us. 

If there is an immediate public safety threat, such as live wires, call 9-1-1 immediately. If lines have fallen from power or telephone poles, avoid touching them and call Dominion Energy at 866-DOM-HELP (866-366-4357). The call center is staffed 24/7.

The County does not have any authority to address downed or dangling lines on private property. The County’s franchise agreements only extend to public property (streets and sidewalks). Customers should contact Comcast/Xfinity and Verizon Fios customer service, so they can send crews out to address the problem. Please use the contact information below for the cable companies. Please note that these are automated call centers.

• Comcast/Xfinity: 1-800-934-6489  (1-800-XFINITY)
• Verizon: 1-888-553-1555

The County’s Department of Environmental Services must issue a permit for the removal of an old utility pole; however, the County has no legal authority nor the ability to remove a pole itself. The County’s franchise agreements provide very limited enforcement mechanisms that the County can use.

If the utilities are not responsive or the issue is not resolved in a timely manner, email cable@arlingtonva.us.

Contact your cable company to determine if there is a larger service issue or something they can fix in your residence. Use the contact information below. Please note that these are automated call centers. Arlington County cannot address an individual’s customer service issue with their cable provider.

• Comcast/Xfinity: 1-800-934-6489  (1-800-XFINITY)
• Verizon:  1-888-553-1555

Addressing cable outages is the responsibility of the individual cable company. As these are private businesses, the County has no role in addressing these issues. Residents experiencing outage should report them to their cable provider as soon as possible.

Outages can be reported online to the relevant cable provider:

• Comcast: www.infinity.com/support/report-issue
• Verizon: www.verizon.com/support/check-network-status

The County offered the cable administration service as a courtesy to the community. The County has very little authority through its franchise agreements to address issues with cable providers. Instead, the County relied on professional relationships to resolve issues for constituents. The structure of cable companies has changed in recent years, and the avenues previously used by the County to encourage action on behalf of constituents no longer exist. That reality, coupled with the County’s need to find budget efficiencies, led to the County’s decision to eliminate this service as part of the FY 2027 Budget. 

The County’s public safety officers in the field (police and fire) are trained in how to handle issues with utility wires that present a threat to the community, such as live wires. While the County cannot remove the hazard itself, public safety agencies can close roads and sidewalks, re-route traffic, and take other steps to protect the community. If you believe a downed or hanging wire is a threat to public safety, call 9-1-1- immediately.

The extent of the County’s enforcement authority is the ability to send an enforcement notice to the company in question. The County has no other enforcement capabilities. In addition, the County’s franchise agreements with cable providers only apply to public spaces. The County has no legal authority for enforcement on private property.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) regulates public utilities, such as Dominion Energy, including service quality, consumer issues, and utility compliance with Virginia law. Complaints about a utility service can be submitted to the SCC online.

The Federal Communications Commission is responsible for enforcing a variety of cable television regulations. Consumer complaints about cable providers can be submitted to the FCC online. Additional help may be available through your Congressional representative. In Arlington, that is Rep. Don Beyer. You can contact his constituent services office by using their online form 

The County Board has commissioned an advisory group to advise them about technology services in Arlington. The Information Technology Advisory Commission (ITAC) is a group of Arlington citizens appointed by the County Board to provide advice on various technology issues. ITAC meetings are public meetings, and are usually held the 4th Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Court House Plaza, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201.

For more information about technology issues in Arlington County, visit the ITAC webpage.

Apartment buildings, townhomes, or condo units are an exception to the buildout requirement for residential property.  Building management or Homeowner Associations (HOAs) for the buildings must separately negotiate terms of entry and installation with the cable company.

Regulation of cable companies is done primarily by the federal government and Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Currently, the rates for cable service are not regulated, as the FCC has determined that the presence of two companies (Verizon and Comcast) provide a competitive environment.  For this reason, the cable companies may charge what they feel the market will pay. The FCC Cable TV Fact Sheet has additional information regarding the role of local government in the regulation of cable rates.

FCC regulations state that Basic service must contain local broadcast stations and public-education-government channels. Any additional channels are at the sole discretion of the cable company. Except for mandating broad categories of programming (e.g., family, multicultural, home shopping, public, educational and government) Arlington County has no jurisdiction over what channels are carried on Comcast or Verizon. Subscribers who wish to suggest other channels should contact Comcast or Verizon.

With utilities like electricity and water, monthly charges are based on usage and fees and are calculated at the end of a billing cycle. However, like telephone service, cable TV service has a standard basic monthly charge, usually billed a month in advance.

Under legislation enacted by the General Assembly, the Virginia communications sales and use tax, also referred to as the Communications Sales tax, replaced most of the previous state and local taxes and fees on communications services, effective January 1, 2007. This tax replaced all “franchise fees” previously paid by cable TV service companies in Virginia to the local jurisdictions (local franchising authorities).

The County no longer receives Franchise Fees directly from the companies.