[Adopted 10-9-2001 by Ord.
No. 2001-05]
Pursuant to the procedures in the Cable Act (as defined in §
A196-3), the City has determined to renew the existing cable television franchise on the terms and conditions set forth in this ordinance, and the grantee agrees to such terms and conditions.
This ordinance shall be known and may be cited as the "Time Warner Entertainment
- Advance/Newhouse Partnership Cable Television Franchise."
For purposes of this ordinance, the following terms, phrases, words,
and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein. When not inconsistent
with the context, words in the present tense include the future, words in
the plural number include the singular number and words in the singular number
include the plural number. The word "shall" is always mandatory and not merely
directory.
ABANDONMENT
The cessation, by act or failure to act of the grantee, of the provision
of all, or substantially all, of the services then being provided over the
system to subscribers or the grantor for 24 or more consecutive hours, except
if due to an event beyond the control of the grantee.
BASIC SERVICE
That level of cable services distributed over the subscriber network
which, at a minimum, includes all signals carried on the system in fulfillment
of the requirements of Sections 614 and 615 of the Cable Act (47 U.S.C. §§ 534
and 535, respectively); any access channel programming required by this ordinance
to be provided to subscribers; and any signal of any broadcast station provided
by the grantee to any subscriber, except a signal which is secondarily transmitted
by a satellite carrier beyond the local service area of such station.
CABLE ACT
The Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, 47 U.S.C. §§ 521
to 611 (1991), and any amendments thereto, and the Cable Television Consumer
Protection and Competition Act of 1992, Pub. L. No. 102-385, 106 Stat. 1460
(1992), codified at 47 U.S.C. §§ 151 to 611 (1993), and any
amendments thereto, both of which, among other things, are amendments to the
Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. §§ 151 to 611 (1991).
CABLE SERVICE
The one-way transmission to subscribers of video programming or other
programming service; subscriber interaction, if any, which is required for
the selection or use of such video programming or other programming service.
CHANNEL
A band of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum, or any other
means of transmission (including, without limitation, optical fibers or any
other means now available or that may become available), which is capable
of carrying a video signal, an audio signal, a voice signal, or a data signal.
COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM or SYSTEM
Any facility, consisting of a set of closed transmission paths and
associated signal generation, reception and control equipment, a function
of which is to provide cable services by receiving through any means, including,
without limitation, coaxial cable, optical fiber, antenna, or satellite or
microwave transmission, and distributing video, audio, voice, or data signals,
whether originating within the franchise area or elsewhere. The foregoing
definition of "communications system" shall not be deemed to circumscribe
the valid authority of any governmental body, including the grantor, to regulate
the activities of any other communications system or provider of communications
services.
CONTROL or CONTROLLING INTEREST
Actual working control in whatever manner exercised, including, without
limitation, working control through ownership, management, debt instruments,
or negative control, as the case may be, of the system, the franchise or the
grantee.
FCC
The Federal Communications Commission, its designee, or any successor
thereto.
FRANCHISE AREA
The area consisting of the corporate limits of the City of South
Pasadena, as its borders may be changed from time to time. For purposes of
this ordinance, any annexation shall become effective within 60 days of the
grantor's written notice to grantee of the annexation including an accurate
listing of the affected addresses.
GRANTEE
Time Warner Entertainment - Advance/Newhouse Partnership, a partnership
duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of New York,
whose principal place of business is located at 290 Harbor Drive, Stamford,
Connecticut 06902.
GRANTOR
The City of South Pasadena, Florida, or, as appropriate in the case
of specific provisions of this ordinance, any board, bureau, authority, agency,
commission, department of, or any other entity of or acting on behalf of the
City of South Pasadena, Florida, or any officer, official, employee, or agent
thereof, any designee of any of the foregoing, or any successor thereto.
PAY SERVICE
Any cable service offered on a per-channel or per-program basis.
PEG CHANNEL(S)
Channels made available to grantor and/or users designated by grantor
for noncommercial programming.
PERSON
Any natural person or any association, firm, partnership, joint venture,
corporation, or other legally recognized entity, whether for-profit or not-for-profit,
but shall not mean the grantor.
RESPONSIBLE FRANCHISING OFFICIAL
The body, organization or official to whom the applicable rights
or obligations have been delegated by the grantor pursuant to applicable law.
RIGHTS-OF-WAY
All of the public streets, alleys, highways, waterways, bridges,
easements, sidewalks and parks of the City of South Pasadena, as they now
exist or may be hereafter constructed, opened, laid out or extended within
the present limits of the City, or in such territory as may hereafter be added
to, consolidated or annexed to the City.
SERVICE
Any cable service, including any basic service, including the provision
of any equipment and any installation of equipment or facilities and monthly
use thereof, whether originated by the grantee or any other person, which
is offered to any person in conjunction with, or distributed over, the system
to provide cable service.
SIGNAL
Any transmission of radio frequency energy or of optical information.
Retroactive to October 1, 2001, grantee shall comply with the payment,
reporting and audit requirements of the Florida Communications Services Tax
Simplifications Law.
Grantee shall signify its acceptance of the franchise terms in writing
within 30 days of City Commission final approval of this ordinance by signing
the ordinance and submitting it to the City Clerk.
This ordinance shall take effect immediately upon adoption.
[Adopted 1-23-1990 as Ord.
No. 89-51]
The right to use and occupy said public ways for the purpose herein
set forth shall not be exclusive, and the city reserves the right to grant
a similar use in said public ways to any other person.
The franchise and rights herein granted shall take effect and be in
force upon the final passage hereof and upon filing of acceptance by the company,
and the franchise shall continue in force and effect both as an ordinance
and as a contract between the city and the company for a term of twelve (12)
years after the effective date of this ordinance. The franchise may be renewed
in accordance with applicable law.
This franchise is being granted for a very limited portion of the city
where there is already full development of the land. There is no future development
permitted within the franchise area, and therefore, no system expansion is
planned or contemplated by this franchise.
The company shall operate and maintain its cable television system in
full compliance with the standards set forth by the Federal Communications
Commission.
The company shall notify the city thirty (30) days in advance of any
increase in subscriber rates. The city and the company agree that such notification
is for informational purposes only.
The company shall pay to the city, on or before March 31 of each year,
a three-percent franchise fee based on gross annual basic subscriber receipts
received for cable television operations and three percent (3%) of gross annual
receipts received for expanded cable television services in the city for the
preceding calendar year. No other fee, charge or consideration shall be imposed.
At the time of each payment due hereunder, the company shall provide to the
city an annual summary report showing gross annual basic subscriber receipts
and gross annual receipts received for expanded cable television services
during the preceding year.
Upon expiration of the franchise, if the company shall not have acquired
an extension or renewal thereof and accepted the same, the company may enter
upon the public ways of the city for the purposes of removing therefrom any
and all of its property and otherwise. In so removing said property, the company
shall refill, at its own expense, any excavation that shall be made by it,
and shall leave said public ways in as nearly as possible as good condition
as that prevailing prior to the company's removal of its property.
The company shall not sell or transfer its plant or system to another,
other than a parent company or a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, nor
transfer any rights under this franchise to another, except as security for
moneys borrowed, without Commission approval. Such Commission approval shall
not be unreasonably withheld, and neither this section nor other sections
of this franchise shall preclude the assignment of certain rights in the system
by the company for the purpose of financing.
It shall be the policy of the city literally to amend this franchise
upon application of the company when necessary to enable the company to take
advantage of any developments in the field of transmission of television and
radio signals which will afford it an opportunity to more effectively, efficiently
and economically serve its customers.
It shall be unlawful for any person without the express consent of the
company to make any connection, extension or division, whether physically,
acoustically, inductively, electronically or otherwise, with or to any segment
of the cable television system for any purpose whatsoever.
It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully interfere with, tamper
with, remove, obstruct or damage any part, segment or content of a franchised
cable television system for any purpose whatsoever without the express consent
of the company.
Any violation of any provision of §
A196-38 or §
A196-39 above shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.) for each violation or a jail sentence not to exceed ninety (90) days, or both. Each day of an unauthorized connection under §
A196-38 shall be deemed a separate violation. The fine set forth above may be collected through appropriate civil proceedings. Imposition of such penalties are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other civil or criminal liability arising from such violations.
The company shall at all times during the life of this franchise be
subject to all lawful exercise of the police power by the city. The city reserves
the right to adopt from time to time in addition to the provisions herein
contained, such ordinances as may be deemed necessary to the exercise of police
power. Such regulation shall be reasonable and not destructible to the rights
herein granted and not in conflict with the laws of the state or other local
laws or regulations.