A telecommunications franchise shall be required
of any telecommunications carrier which desires to occupy public ways
and to provide telecommunications services to any person or area within
the Village.
Any person who desires a telecommunications
franchise pursuant to this article shall file an application with
the Village, which shall include the following:
A. The identity of the franchise applicant, including
all affiliates of the applicant.
B. A description of the telecommunications services that
are or will be offered or provided by the franchise applicant over
its existing or proposed facilities.
C. A description of the transmission medium that will
be used by the franchisee to offer or provide such telecommunications
services.
D. Preliminary engineering plans, specifications and
a network map of the facilities to be located within the Village,
all in sufficient detail to identity:
(1) The location and route requested for the applicants
proposed telecommunications facilities.
(2) The location of all overhead and underground public
utility, telecommunications, cable, water, sewer drainage and other
facilities in the public way along the proposed route.
(3) The location(s), if any, for interconnection with
the telecommunications facilities of other telecommunications carriers.
(4) The specific trees, structures, improvements, facilities
and obstructions, if any, that the applicant proposes to temporarily
or permanently remove or relocate.
E. If the applicant is proposing to install overhead
facilities, evidence that surplus space is available for locating
its telecommunications facilities on existing utility poles along
the proposed route.
F. If the applicant is proposing an underground installation
in existing ducts or conduits within the public ways, information
in sufficient detail to identify:
(1) The excess capacity currently available in such ducts
or conduits before installation of the applicant's telecommunications
facilities.
(2) The excess capacity, if any, that will exist in such
ducts or conduits after installation of the applicant's telecommunications
facilities.
G. If the applicant is proposing an underground installation
within new ducts or conduits to be constructed within the public ways:
(1) The location proposed for the new ducts or conduits.
(2) The excess capacity that will exist in such ducts
or conduits after installation of the applicant's telecommunications
facilities.
H. A preliminary construction schedule and completion
dates.
I. A preliminary traffic control plan.
J. Financial statements, prepared in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles, demonstrating the applicant's
financial ability to construct, operate, maintain, relocate and remove
the facilities.
K. Information in sufficient detail to establish the
applicant's technical qualifications, experience and expertise regarding
the telecommunications facilities and services described in the application.
L. Information to establish that the applicant has obtained
all other governmental approvals and permits to construct and operate
the facilities and to offer or provide the telecommunications services.
M. Whether the applicant intends to provide cable service,
video dial tone service or other video programming service and sufficient
information to determine whether such service is subject to cable
franchising.
N. An accurate map showing the location of any existing
telecommunications facilities in the Village that the applicant intends
to use or lease.
O. A description of the services or facilities that the
applicant will offer or make available to the Village and other public,
educational and governmental institutions.
P. A description of the applicant's access and line extension
policies.
Q. The area or areas of the Village the applicant desires
to serve and a schedule for build-out to the entire franchise area.
R. Payment of all fees, deposits or charges required pursuant to Article
VI of this chapter.
S. Such other and further information as may be requested
by the Village.
Within a reasonable period of time after receiving
a complete application for a telecommunications franchise, the corporate
authorities shall issue a written determination granting or denying
the application, in whole or in part, applying the following standards,
and, if the application is denied, the written determination shall
include the reasons for denial:
A. The financial and technical ability of the applicant.
B. The legal capacity of the applicant.
C. The capacity of the public ways to accommodate the
applicant's proposed facilities.
D. The capacity of the public ways to accommodate additional
utility and telecommunications facilities if the franchise is granted.
E. The damage or disruption, if any, of public or private
facilities, improvements, service, travel or landscaping if the franchise
is granted.
F. The public interest in minimizing the cost and disruption
of construction within the public ways.
G. The service that the applicant will provide to the
community and region.
H. The effect, if any, on public health, safety and welfare
if the franchise requested is granted.
I. The availability of alternate routes and/or locations
for the proposed facilities.
J. Applicable federal and state telecommunications laws,
regulations and policies.
K. Such other factors as may demonstrate that the grant
to use the public ways will serve the community interest.
No telecommunications franchise shall be granted
hereunder unless the applicant and the Village have executed a written
agreement setting forth the particular terms and provisions under
which the franchise to occupy and use public ways will be exercised.
No telecommunications franchise shall confer
any exclusive right, privilege, license or franchise to occupy or
use the public ways for delivery of telecommunications services or
any other purposes.
No telecommunications franchise granted shall
convey any right, title or interest in the public ways. Any such franchise
shall be deemed a franchise only to use and occupy the public ways
for the limited purposes and term stated in the grant. Further, no
franchise shall be construed as any warranty of title.
All franchisees are required to obtain construction
permits for telecommunications facilities. However, nothing in this
section shall prohibit the Village and a franchisee from agreeing
to alternative plan review, permit and construction procedures in
a franchise agreement, provided that such alternative procedures provide
substantially equivalent safeguards for responsible construction practices.
Each telecommunications franchise shall be subject
to the Village's right, which is expressly reserved to annually fix
a fair and reasonable compensation to be paid for the property rights
granted to the franchisee; however, nothing shall prohibit the Village
and a franchisee from agreeing to the compensation to be paid, and
further provided that the Village shall not fix an amount of compensation
which is contrary to the provision of any such franchise agreement.
A telecommunications franchisee shall make all
of its telecommunications services available to any customer within
its franchise area who shall request such service, without discrimination
as to the terms, conditions, rates or charges for the franchisee's
services; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall prohibit
a franchisee from making any reasonable classifications among differently
situated customers.
A franchisee shall make its telecommunications
services available to the Village at no less than its most favorable
rate for similarly situated users, unless otherwise provided in a
license or franchise agreement with the Village.
An amendment to a franchise shall be required
of any telecommunications carrier that extends its franchise territory
or locates its telecommunications facilities in public ways which
are not included in a franchise previously granted under this chapter.
Unless otherwise provided by law, an application
for renewal of a telecommunications franchise shall be filed not more
than 240 days nor less than 150 days before expiration of the current
franchise and shall include the following:
A. The items required pursuant to §
513-26 of this article.
B. Any information required pursuant to the franchise
agreement between the Village and the franchisee.
Within a reasonable time after receiving a complete
application for renewal of a telecommunications franchise, the corporate
authorities shall issue a written determination granting or denying
the renewal application, in whole or in part, applying the following
standards, and, if the renewal application is denied, the written
determination shall include the reasons for nonrenewal:
A. The financial and technical ability of the applicant.
B. The legal capacity of the applicant.
C. The continuing capacity of the public ways to accommodate
the applicant's existing facilities.
D. The applicant's compliance with the requirements of
this chapter and its existing or previous franchise agreement.
E. Applicable federal, state and local telecommunications
laws, rules and policies.
F. Such other factors as may demonstrate that the continued
grant to use the public ways will serve the community interest.
No telecommunications franchise shall be renewed
until any ongoing violations or defaults in the franchisee's performance
of the franchisee's existing or previous agreement, or of the requirements
of this chapter, have been cured, or a plan detailing the corrective
action to be taken by the franchisee has been approved by the Village,
and the franchisee is acting with due diligence in taking such corrective
action.