[Ord. No. 2023-10 Grants Renewal of Municipal Consent to Comcast of New Jersey, LLC, to Construct, Connect, Operate and Maintain a Cable Television and Communications System. History includes Ord. #96-04 and Ord. #96-12.]
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
The Borough hereby grants to Comcast renewal of its non-exclusive Municipal Consent to place in, upon, across, above, over and under highways, streets alleys, sidewalks, easements, public ways and public places in the Borough, 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 Borough of a cable television and communications system.
For the purpose of this Ordinance, the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein. Such meaning or definition of terms in 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. 
"Borough" is the Borough of Beachwood, County of Ocean, State of New Jersey
b. 
"Company" or "Comcast: is the grantee of rights under this Ordinance and is known as Comcast of New Jersey, LLC.
c. 
"Act" or "Cable Television Act" is Chapter 186 of the General Laws of New Jersey, and subsequent amendments thereto, N.J.S.A. § 48:5A-1, et seq.
d. 
"FCC" is the Federal Communications Commission.
e. 
"Board" or "BPU" is the Board of Public Utilities, State of New Jersey.
f. 
"Office" or "OCTV" is the Office of Cable Television of the Board.
g. 
"Basic Cable Service: any service tier, which includes the retransmission of local television broadcast signals as defined by the FCC.
h. 
"Application" is the Company's Application for Renewal of Municipal Consent.
i. 
"Primary Service Area or PSA" consists of the area of the Borough currently served with existing plant as set forth in the map annexed to the Company's Application for Municipal Consent.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
Public hearings conducted by the Borough, 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 Borough, having received at said public hearings all comments regarding the qualifications of the Company to receive this renewal of Municipal Consent, the Borough 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.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
The non-exclusive Municipal Consent granted herein shall expire 10 years from the date of expiration of the previous Certificate of Approval issued by the Board.
In the event that the Borough shall find that the Company has not substantially complied with the material terms and conditions of this Ordinance, the Borough 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 Borough 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.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
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 Borough 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 Borough or any higher amount permitted by the Act or otherwise allowable by law, whichever is greater.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
The consent granted under this Ordinance for the renewal of the franchise shall apply to the entirety of the Borough and any property subsequently annexed hereto.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
The Company shall be required to proffer service to any residence 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, as set forth in the Company's Application, with a HPM ("homes-per-mile") of 30 dwellings per linear mile from the nearest active trunk or feeder line.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
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 Borough shall alter or change the grade of any street, alley or other way or place the Company, upon reasonable notice by the Borough, shall remove, re-lay or relocate its equipment, at the expense of the Company prior to approval of the board.
c. 
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 Borough 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.
d. 
Temporary removal of cables. The Company shall, upon request of the Borough, at the company's expense, temporarily raise, lower, or remove its lines in order to facilitate the moving of buildings or machinery or in other like circumstances, subject to the prior approval of the board.
e. 
Installation of equipment. The Company shall install equipment in the same location and manner as existing public utilities whenever possible, to minimize the impact of same on surrounding property.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
In providing services 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.
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 Borough 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.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
The Office of Cable Television is hereby designated as the Complaint Officer for the Borough 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 Borough shall have the right to request copies of records and reports pertaining to complaints by Borough customers from the OCTV.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
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.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
During the life of the franchise the Company shall give to the Borough 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.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
The rates of the Company shall be subject to regulation as permitted by federal and state law.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
a. 
The Company shall provide, at no cost, Expanded Basic or a similar tier of cable television service to one outlet to each qualified existing and future school in the Borough, public and private, elementary, intermediate, and secondary, provided the school building is within 200 feet of active cable distribution plant or through customer owned conduit. Each additional outlet installed, if any, shall be paid for on a material plus labor basis by the school requesting service.
b. 
The Company shall provide, at no cost, Expanded Basic or a similar tier of cable television service to one outlet to every Borough building and each qualified existing and future municipal building, police, fire, emergency management facility and public library in the Borough, provided the facility is located within 200 feet of active cable distribution plant or through customer owned conduit. Each additional outlet installed, if any, shall be paid for on a material plus labor basis by the Borough.
c. 
Within six months of the issuance of a Renewal Certificate of Approval by the BPU, the Company shall provide to the Borough a one-time PEG Access Capital Grant in the amount of $25,000 to meet the PEG Access capital needs of the community.
d. 
The Communications Act of 1934, as amended [47 U.S.C. § 543 (b)], allows the Company to itemize and/or identify: (1.) the amount on the subscriber bill assessed as a franchise fee and the identity of the governmental authority to which the fee is paid; (2.) the amount on the bill assessed to satisfy any requirements imposed on the Company by the cable franchise to support public, education, and/or governmental access channels or the use of such channels; and (3.) any grants or other fees on the bill or any tax, assessment, or charge of any kind imposed by any governmental authority on the transaction between the operator and the subscriber. The Company reserves its external cost, pass-through rights to the full extent permitted by law.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
a. 
The Company shall continue to make available to the Borough one governmental access channel and one educational access channel.
b. 
The Company does not relinquish its ownership of or ultimate right of control over a channel by designating it for access use. An EG access user - whether an educational or government user - acquires no property or other interest by virtue of the use of a channel so designated and may not rely on the continued use of a particular channel number, no matter how long the same channel may have been designated for such use.
c. 
The Company will maintain the cable, modulators, and equipment necessary for the Borough or its designee to send a signal to the Company, and to receive the return feed of the signal.
d. 
The Company shall not exercise editorial control over any educational or governmental use of channel capacity, except Company may refuse to transmit any educational or governmental access program or portion of any educational or governmental access program that contains obscenity, indecency, or nudity.
e. 
Government access. "Government Access" shall mean noncommercial use by the Borough for the purpose of showing the local government at work.
f. 
Company use of fallow time. Because blank or underutilized E/G channels are not in the public interest, in the event the Borough or other qualified E/G access users elect not to fully program their E/G access channel, Company may program unused time on those channels subject to reclamation by the Borough upon no less than 60 days' written notice.
g. 
Indemnification. The Borough shall indemnify Company for any liability, loss, or damage it may suffer due to violation of the intellectual property rights of third parties on the EG channel and from claims arising out of the rules for or administration of E/G access channel and its programming.
h. 
The Communications Act of 1934, as amended [47 U.S.C. § 543 (b)], allows the Company to itemize and/or identify: (1.) the amount on the subscriber bill assessed as a franchise fee and the identity of the governmental authority to which the fee is paid; (2.) the amount on the bill assessed to satisfy any requirements imposed on the Company by the cable franchise to support public, education, and/or governmental access channels or the use of such channels; and (3.) any grants or other fees on the bill or any tax, assessment, or charge of any kind imposed by any governmental authority on the transaction between the operator and the subscriber. The Company reserves its external cost, pass-through rights to the full extent permitted by law.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
a. 
The Company will comply with the Emergency Alert System ("EAS") rules in accordance with applicable state and federal statutes and regulations.
b. 
The Company shall in no way be held liable for any injury suffered by the Borough or any other person, during an emergency, if for any reason the Borough is unable to make full use of the cable television system as contemplated herein.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
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.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
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 application State or Federal law.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
Should the Borough grant municipal consent for 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 subject to the provisions of N.J.A.C. § 14:17-6.7.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this Ordinance 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.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
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.
[Added 10-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-10]
This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon issuance of a Renewal Certificate of Approval from the BPU.