Cable contracts must be reviewed every decade and the current franchise period ends this October.

Today, the city begins accepting new proposals for citywide cable contracts.

Verizon is one likely contender. The company wants to add cable TV service to its new FiOS fiber optic network.

Any new agreement requires the approval of the Franchise Concession and Review Committee. One member of that body, Comptroller Bill Thompson, has proposed a "Cable Consumer Bill of Rights" to go with any new franchise.

Cablevision has about 600,000 customers in the city, Time Warner has 1.2 million. Both companies are in franchise renewal talks.

For WNYC, I'm Ilya Marritz.