BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Months after its first attempt to gain a franchise agreement in Baltimore City faltered, cable company Cavalier seems ready take another shot at breaking up Comcast’s monopoly.

It might not be alone, as city officials and a company spokesperson said Verizon will eventually seek a franchise in Baltimore.

The city’s planning commission earlier this month approved a Cavalier franchise agreement, again sending it to the council for debate. A contract proposed by the Richmond, Va.-based cable, telephone and Internet provider died last fall after a council subcommittee gave the contract an unfavorable recommendation and the city’s Board of Estimates did not take it up.

At that time, Verizon officials said they too may try to break into the city market. In an e-mail statement, Verizon spokeswoman Sandy Arnette said the company will “eventually” seek an agreement to bring FiOS to Baltimore once it deploys its fiber optic network, but could not say exactly when that would occur.

“They’re going to get to Baltimore City,” said Marilyn Harris-Davis, Mayor Sheila Dixon’s director of cable and communications. “Baltimore is certainly a viable cable communications area.”

The contract would allow Cavalier to lease and piggyback on existing Verizon transmission lines to provide service.

However, both Harris-Davis and Councilman James Kraft, chair of the judiciary and legislative investigations subcommittee which spiked the agreement, said they have not heard from the company. Kraft said legislation for the agreement has not been reintroduced. Cavalier representatives did not return calls for comment Thursday.

“We didn’t have a lot of information, they gave it with less than 30 days left before the end of our session,” Kraft said. “We’re not saying we don’t want to create a more competitive market, we’re saying we can’t do this within in the timeframe in a reasonable way. Our understanding is that the issue would return.”

In an e-mail, Comcast spokeswoman Alicia Martin defended the company’s market dominance.

“Competition is not new to Comcast,” Martin said. “No other provider is capable of delivering integrated products on the scale that Comcast does today.”

Harris-Davis reiterated concerns about Cavalier’s customer service capabilities, and questioned who would conduct maintenance and repairs on the system.

“Cavalier is a smaller company,” she said. “When you give a franchise [agreement], you’re giving them access to city streets. We want to make sure they’re up to it.”

acahall@baltimoreexaminer.com