• Franchises are grants of the right to occupy or to use the City’s inalienable property, such as streets or parks, for a public service, e.g., transportation or telecommunications.
• Concessions are grants for the private use of city-owned property such as for food sales or recreational activity, with the City’s compensation typically tied to the concessionaire’s revenue.  Concessions are also subject to the City's Concession Rules as codified in Title 12 of the Rules of the City of New York.

The FCRC is comprised of six members: two represent the Mayor, one represents the Law Department, one represents the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), one represents the City Comptroller, and representatives of the five Borough Presidents share one vote, which is allocated according to the location of the franchise or concession at issue. 

To award a franchise, the FCRC must conduct a hearing and approve the franchise with at least five votes.  In Fiscal Year 2011, the City collected $197 million from 72 existing franchises, with the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) as the top revenue raisers, for cable television and street furniture franchises. The FCRC also approved seven franchise transactions, including two new DOT bus franchises and five changes of control od DoITT franchises. 

Concessions, depending on their award method, may or may not require FCRC approval.  Those procured by competitive sealed bid never require FCRC approval.  In Fiscal Year 2011, the City awarded 129 new concessions and collected nearly $47 million in revenue from nearly 600 operating concessions.  Restaurants and golf courses led in total dollars and the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) was the leading revenue raiser.

FCRC Hearings and Meetings

January 7, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing - Cancelled January 9, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting February 11, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing February 13, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting  March 11, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing - Cancelled March 13, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting - Cancelled April 8, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing April 10, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting  May 6, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing - Cancelled May 8, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting - Cancelled June 10, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing June 12, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting July 8, 2013  FCRC Public Heairng July 10, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting August 12, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing August 14, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting September 9, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing September 11, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting October 7, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing October 9, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting November 12, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing November 13, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting December 9, 2013  FCRC Public Hearing December 11, 2013  FCRC Public Meeting

Public hearings are held for all “significant” concessions, i.e., those awarded via a method other than competitive sealed bid that either have a term of 10 years or more (including option periods) or a projected annual income to the City of more than $100,000  or are considered "major" concessions pursuant to the rules adopted by the City Planning Commission.  In Fiscal 2010, 26 concession awards required public hearings. 

Concessions awarded via different procedures, i.e., sole source or non-for-profit, require two FCRC approvals, each with the support of at least four votes: first, a preliminary approval allowing the agency to enter into negotiations, and then, once the concession agreement is finalized, a vote to approve its grant. In Fiscal Year 2010, the City awarded 19 concessions utilizing the different procedure method. In addition, 22 requests to negotiate sole source concessions were approved by the FCRC in Fiscal Year 2010, but had not reached the award stage as of the end of the fiscal year.