Tucson spent more than a year in a highly publicized selection process for its cable television franchise, picking from among 10 applicants who offered generous combinations of funding and channel capacity for public access, education and arts stations, many of which never got off the ground.
Unlike the city, Pima County had a more low-key process, essentially negotiating behind the scenes with a single company before signing a license agreement more than 30 years ago with Jones Intercable, requiring none of the bells and whistles attached to the city system. Comcast, the county's current primary provider, took over Jones in 2000.