Denver bucked the trend of declining cable franchise fees, which is the payment cable TV providers pay to cities for permission to install cables in city streets. As customers drop cable TV service, cities have seen those revenues decline. But in Denver, the growth to $8.5 million in 2017 from $6.6 million in 2012 could be credited to population growth or higher prices. Another factor? CenturyLink joined Comcast as a TV service in 2015. But last year, CenturyLink began winding down, causing the city to see a drop of nearly $1.2 million in franchise fees.