[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 1]
The Municipality hereby grants to Comcast renewal of its non-exclusive
Municipal Consent to place in, upon, along, across, above, over and
under highways, streets, alleys, sidewalks, easements, public ways
and public places in the Municipality, poles, wires, cables, underground
conduits, manholes and other television conductors, fixtures, apparatus
and equipment as may be necessary for the construction, operation
and maintenance in the Municipality of a cable television and communications
system.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 2]
For the purpose of this Ordinance (Chapter 17), the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein. Such meaning or definition of terms is supplemental to those definitions of the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") rules and regulations, 47 C.F.R. Subsection 76.1 et seq., and the Cable Communications Policy Act, 47 U.S.C. Section 521 et seq., as amended, and the Cable Television Act, N.J.S.A. 48:5A-1 et seq., and shall in no way be construed to broaden, alter or conflict with the Federal and State definitions:
a.
ACT OR CABLE TELEVISION ACT — Shall mean Chapter 186 of the
General Laws of New Jersey, and subsequent amendments thereto, N.J.S.A.
48:5A-1, et seq.
b.
APPLICATION — Shall mean the Company's Application for Renewal
of Municipal Consent.
c.
BASIC CABLE SERVICE — Shall mean any service tier, which includes
the retransmission of local television broadcast signals as defined
by the FCC.
d.
BOARD OR BPU — Shall mean the Board of Public Utilities, State
of New Jersey.
e.
CITY OR MUNICIPALITY — Shall mean the City of Lambertville,
County of Hunterdon, State of New Jersey.
f.
COMPANY — Shall mean the grantee of rights under this Ordinance
and is known as Comcast of Southeast Pennsylvania, LLC.
g.
FCC — Shall mean the Federal Communications Commission.
h.
OFFICE OR OCTV — Shall mean the Office of Cable Television
of the Board.
i.
PRIMARY SERVICE AREA OR PSA — Shall mean the area of the Municipality
currently served with existing plant as set forth in the map annexed
to the Company's Application for Municipal Consent.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 3]
Public hearings conducted by the Municipality, concerning the
renewal of Municipal Consent herein granted to the Company, were held
after proper public notice pursuant to the terms and conditions of
the Act and the regulations of the Board adopted pursuant thereto.
Said hearings, having been fully open to the public, and the Municipality,
having received at said public hearings all comments regarding the
qualifications of the Company to receive this renewal of Municipal
Consent, the Municipality hereby finds that the Company possesses
the necessary legal, technical, character, financial and other qualifications
and that the Company's operating and construction arrangements are
adequate and feasible.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 4]
The non-exclusive Municipal Consent granted herein is for a
period of 15 years beginning as of the date of issuance of a renewal
Certificate of Approval by the Board, and shall thereafter be extended
for, and end after, an automatic renewal term of 10 years as provided
by N.J.S.A. 48:5A-19 and 25, and N.J.A.C. 14:18-13.6.
In the event that the Municipality shall find that the Company
has not substantially complied with the material terms and conditions
of this Ordinance, the Municipality shall have the right to petition
the OCTV, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 48:5A-47, for appropriate action, including
modification and/or termination of the Certificate of Approval; provided
however, that the Municipality shall first have given the Company
written notice of all alleged instances of non-compliance and an opportunity
to cure same within 90 days of that notification.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 5]
Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Act, the Company
shall, during each year of operation under the consent granted herein,
pay to the Municipality 2% of the gross revenues from all recurring
charges in the nature of subscription fees paid by subscribers for
cable television reception service in the Municipality or any higher
amount permitted by the Act or otherwise allowable by law, whichever
is greater.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 6]
The consent granted under this Ordinance (Chapter 17) to the renewal of the franchise shall apply to the entirety of the Municipality and any property subsequently annexed hereto.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 7]
The Company shall be required to proffer service to any residence
or business along any public right-of-way in the Primary Service Area,
as set forth in the Company's Application. Any extension of plant
beyond the Primary Service Area shall be governed by the Company's
Line Extension Policy of 35 homes per mile.
Comcast will extend its plant along rights-of-ways to all residences
and business within 150 aerial feet or 100 underground feet of Comcast's
active cable distribution plant at no cost beyond the normal installation
rate.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 8]
a.
Restoration: In the event that the Company or its agents shall disturb
any pavement, street surfaces, sidewalks, driveways, or other surface
in the natural topography, the Company shall, at its sole expense,
restore and replace such places or things so disturbed in as good
a condition as existed prior to the commencement of said work.
b.
Relocation: If at any time during the period of this consent, the
Municipality shall alter or change the grade of any street, alley
or other way or place the Company, upon reasonable notice by the Municipality,
shall remove, re-lay or relocate its equipment, at the expense of
the Company.
c.
Temporary Removal of Cables: Upon Request, the Company shall temporarily
move or remove appropriate parts of its facilities to allow for the
moving of buildings, and machinery or in other similar circumstances.
The expense shall be borne by the party requesting such action, except
when requested by the Municipality, in which case the company shall
bear the cost.
d.
Removal or Trimming of Trees: During the exercise of its rights and
privileges under this franchise, the Company shall have the authority
to trim trees upon and overhanging streets, alleys, sidewalks or other
public places of the Municipality so as to prevent the branches of
such trees from coming in contact with the wires and cable of the
Company. Such trimming shall be only to the extent necessary to maintain
proper clearance of the Company's wire and cables.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 9]
In providing service to its customers, the Company shall comply
with N.J.A.C. 14:18-1 et seq. and all applicable State and Federal
statutes and regulations. The Company shall strive to meet or exceed
all voluntary company and industry standards in the delivery of customer
service and shall be prepared to report on it to the Municipality
upon written request of the Municipal Administrator or Clerk.
a.
The Company shall continue to comply fully with all applicable State
and Federal statutes and regulations regarding credit for outages,
the reporting of same to regulatory agencies and notification of same
to customers.
b.
The Company shall continue to fully comply with all applicable State
and Federal statutes and regulations regarding the availability of
devices for the hearing impaired and the notification of same to customers.
c.
The Company shall use every reasonable effort to meet or exceed voluntary
standards for telephone accessibility developed by the National Cable
Television Association (NCTA).
d.
Nothing herein shall impair the right of any subscriber or the Municipality
to express any comment with respect to telephone accessibility to
the Complaint Officer, or impair the right of the Complaint Officer
to take any action that is permitted under law.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 10]
The Office of Cable Television is hereby designed as the Complaint
Officer for the Municipality pursuant to N.J.S.A. 48:5A-26(b). All
complaints shall be received and processed in accordance with N.J.A.C.
14:17-6.5. The Municipality shall have the right to request copies
of records and reports pertaining to complaints by municipal customers
from the OCTV.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 11]
During the term of this franchise, and any renewal thereof,
the Company shall maintain a business office or agent in accordance
with N.J.A.C. 14:18-5.1 for the purpose of receiving, investigating
and resolving all local complaints regarding the quality of service,
equipment malfunctions, and similar matters. Such business office
shall have a publicly listed toll-free telephone number and be open
during standard business hours, and in no event (excepting emergent
circumstances) less than 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 12]
During the life of the franchise the Company shall give to the
Municipality a bond in the amount of $25,000. Such bond shall be to
insure the faithful performance of all undertakings of the Company
as represented in its application for municipal consent incorporated
herein.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 13]
The rates of the Company shall be subject to regulation as permitted
by Federal and State law.
a.
The Company shall provide Total Preferred cable television service
on one outlet at no cost to each school in the Municipality, public
and private, elementary, intermediate and secondary, provided the
school is within 175 feet of active cable distribution plant. Each
additional outlet installed, if any, shall be paid for on a materials
plus labor basis by the school requesting service. Monthly service
charges shall be waived on all additional outlets.
b.
The Company shall provide Total Preferred cable television service
at no cost on one outlet to City Hall, each police, fire, emergency
management facility and public library in the Municipality, provided
the facility is located within 175 feet of active cable distribution
plant. Each additional outlet installed, if any, shall be paid for
on a materials plus labor basis by the Municipality. Monthly service
charges shall be waived on all additional outlets.
c.
The Company shall provide free basic Internet service, via high-speed
cable and modem, to one non-networked personal computer in each qualified
existing and future school in the City, public and private, elementary,
intermediate and secondary, at no charge provided the facility is
located within 175 feet of active cable distribution plant. The Internet
service shall be installed on a personal computer that is accessible
to the students and not for administrative use only.
d.
The Company shall provide free basic Internet access via high-speed
cable and modem on one non-networked personal computer in each qualified
existing and future public library at no charge provided the facility
is located within 175 feet of active cable distribution plant. The
Internet shall be installed on a personal computer that is accessible
to library patrons and not for administrative use only.
e.
Within 12 months of receipt of a Renewal Certificate of Approval,
the Company shall provide the City with a one-time technology grant
in the amount of $22,500 for the City's cable and technology related
needs.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 15]
a.
The Company will provide one channel for governmental access use
(sometimes, hereinafter, the "Governmental Access Channel"). Governmental
access programming shall be provided by the governing bodies of the
City of Lambertville, West Amwell Township, the Borough of Stockton,
and Delaware Township (hereinafter, collectively, the "Municipalities").
Unused capacity may be utilized by the Company subject to the provisions
for "fallow time" below. Comcast shall activate the government channel
within six months of a written request by the Municipality. The request
for activation shall not occur prior to receipt of the Certificate
of Approval from the NJ Board of Public Utilities.
The Company shall construct a dedicated fiber optic return line
to the City Municipal Building at 18 York Street in Lambertville and
the Justice Center, 25 South Union Street, Lambertville for cable
casting live and/or recorded programming on the Government access
channel. The Company will also provide a switching device for use
by the Municipality to change broadcast location between the York
Street and Union Street locations during emergencies. The Company
will not be responsible for providing or for the maintenance of any
studio equipment used for the access channel, including but not limited
to cameras, editing decks, monitors, character generators, etc.
b.
The Company will continue to provide one channel for educational
access use (sometimes, hereinafter, the "Education Access Channel")
by the South Hunterdon Regional High School (hereinafter, the "High
School"). Educational access programming shall be provided by the
governing bodies of the City of Lambertville, West Amwell Township,
the Borough of Stockton, and Delaware Township (hereinafter, collectively,
the "Municipalities"), the High School (together with the Municipalities,
the "Users") or other designated educational institutions within the
Municipalities. Unused capacity may be utilized by the Company subject
to the provisions for "fallow time" below.
c.
The Company does not relinquish its ownership of or ultimate right
of control over a channel by designating it for governmental or educational
access use. A governmental or educational access user — whether
all or any of the Users or other educational or government user —
acquires no property or other interest by virtue of the use of a channel
so designated, nor may it rely on the continued use of a particular
channel number, no matter how long the same channel may have been
designated for such use.
d.
The Company shall not exercise editorial control over any governmental
or educational use of channel capacity, except that the Company may
refuse to transmit any governmental or educational access program
or portion of a governmental or educational access program that contains
obscenity, indecency, or nudity.
e.
Shared use of the channels shall be governed by mutual agreement
among the governing bodies of the Users. The Users shall be responsible
for developing, implementing, and enforcing rules for the Access Channels.
f.
"Educational Access" shall mean the noncommercial use by educational
institutions such as public or private schools, but not "home schools,"
community colleges, and universities.
g.
"Government Access" shall mean noncommercial use by the governing
bodies of the City of Lambertville, West Amwell Township, the Borough
of Stockton, and Delaware Township for the purpose of showing the
public local government at work.
h.
Company Use of Fallow Time. Because a blank or under utilized governmental
or educational access channel is not in the public interest, in the
event that the Users do not fully program the Governmental or Educational
Access Channel, the Company may program unused time on said channel
(at its discretion and for any purpose), subject to reclamation by
the Municipalities upon no less than 60 days' written notice.
i.
Indemnification. The Municipalities shall indemnify the Company for
any liability, loss, or damage it may suffer due to any violation
of the intellectual property rights of third parties on the Governmental
or Educational Access Channel and from claims arising out of the Users'
rules for or administration of access.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 16]
The Company will comply with the Emergency Alert System ("EAS")
rules in accordance with applicable State and Federal statutes and
regulations.
The Company shall in no way be held liable for any injury suffered
by the Municipality or any other person, during an emergency, if for
any reason the Municipality is unable to make full use of the cable
television system as contemplated herein.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 17]
The Company shall at all times maintain a comprehensive general
liability insurance policy with a single limit amount of $1,000,000
covering liability for any death, personal injury, property damages
or other liability arising out of its construction and operation of
the cable television system, and an excess liability (or "umbrella")
policy in the amount of $5,000,000.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 18]
All of the statements and commitments contained in the Application
or annexed thereto and incorporated therein, and any amendment thereto,
except as modified herein, are binding upon the Company as terms and
conditions of this consent. The Application and other relevant writings
submitted by the Company shall be annexed hereto and made a part hereof
by reference provided same do not conflict with applicable State of
Federal law.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 19]
Should the Municipality grant a franchise to construct, operate and maintain a cable television system to any other person, corporation or entity on terms materially less burdensome or more favorable than the terms contained herein, the Company may substitute such language that is more favorable or less burdensome for the comparable provision of this Ordinance (Chapter 17) subject to the provisions of N.J.A.C. 14:17-6.7.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 20]
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this Ordinance (Chapter 17) is for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by any court or Federal or State agency of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed a separate, distinct and independent provision, and its validity or unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of the Ordinance (Chapter 17).
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 21]
Nothing in this Franchise or in any prior agreement is or was
intended to confer third-party beneficiary status on any member of
the public to enforce the terms of such agreements or Franchise.
[Ord. No. 2010-05 § 22]
This Ordinance (Chapter 17) shall take effect immediately upon issuance of a Renewal Certificate of Approval from the BPU.
[Amended 8-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-2022]
[1990 Code § 17-15.1; amended 8-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-2022]
Broadband, Cable and Television Services Advisory Committee
is hereby established consisting of five residents of the City who
shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the
Council. The members shall serve for five year terms. The first appointments
shall be staggered.
[1990 Code § 17-15.2; amended 8-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-2022]
The function of the Committee shall be to:
a.
Explore potential ways to bring competition to Lambertville for broadband,
cable and telephone services and reporting to the governing body its
findings;
b.
Review and assist residents regarding complaints and questions related
to service quality and terms and conditions of service for broadband,
cable and telephone services and the availability of assistance and
other programs for Lambertville residents;
c.
Educate residents regarding the regulation of broadband, cable and
telephone services; and
d.
Provide assistance to the Mayor and governing body regarding the
issues related to broadband, cable and telephone services and serving
as liaison to the industry and regulatory bodies as requested by Mayor
and governing body.
[1990 Code § 17-15.3]
Annually the Committee shall provide a list of civic and service
organizations to the Company.
[1990 Code § 17-15.4]
The Company shall make itself available, upon reasonable notice,
to meet with the Committee on an annual basis for discussion of cable
television matters.
