A.
It is the intent of the Board of Commissioners of
Caln Township to enforce the latest minimum customer service standards
as established by the FCC, concerning but not limited to:
B.
Additional requirements:
(1)
The franchisee shall render sufficient service, make
repairs promptly and interrupt service only for good cause and for
the shortest time possible. Such interruptions, insofar as possible,
in the franchisee's best business judgment, shall be preceded by notice
and shall occur during periods of minimum use of the system.
(2)
The franchisee shall maintain a toll-free telephone
number and adequate telephone lines and personnel to respond in a
timely manner to schedule service calls and answer subscriber complaints
or inquiries.
(3)
The franchisee shall comply with the customer service
standards set forth in Part 76 of the FCC regulations, 76 C.F.R. § 76.309.
(4)
Service calls for maintenance or repairs shall be
performed at no charge; provided, however, that if such maintenance
or repair is required as a result of damage caused by a subscriber
or as a result of a subscribers personal equipment, then the franchisee
may charge a reasonable cost for time and material.
(5)
Customer Complaint Procedures:
(a)
The franchisee shall provide the customer with
a written response to a written complaint addressed to the local franchisee
office within 30 days of its receipt. Such response shall include
the results of its inquiry and its decision in response to the complaint.
(b)
If the Township is contacted directly about a customer complaint, it shall notify the franchisee in writing. When the franchisee receives such notification, the time period for the franchisee to respond as required in Subsection B(5)(a) above shall commence.
(c)
Any subscriber who, in good faith, disputes
all or part of any bill sent by the franchisee has the option of withholding
the disputed amount, without a late fee, the initiation of collection
procedures or disconnection, until the franchisee has investigated
the dispute in good faith and has made a determination that the amount
is owed provided that:
(6)
The franchisee shall maintain customer complaint records of written complaints as set forth in Subsection B(5) above, which shall contain the date each complaint is received, the name and address of the affected subscriber, a description of the complaint, the date of resolution, and a description of the resolution. The franchisee shall not be required to maintain such complaint records for a period in excess of 24 months.
(7)
Credit for service outages: In the event that the
franchisee's cable service to any subscriber is completely interrupted
for six or more consecutive hours, the franchisee shall grant such
subscriber a pro rata credit or rebate, on a daily basis, of that
portion of the service charge during the next consecutive billing
cycle or, at its option, apply such credit to any outstanding balance
that is currently due. The franchisee shall not reduce the franchise
fees paid to the Township as consideration for the grant of a franchise
by virtue of any credits or rebates to subscribers.
The franchisee shall provide parental control
devices to all subscribers who wish to be able to cut off any objectionable
channel or channels of programming or data service from the communications
service entering the subscriber's home. This control option shall
be at no charge.
A.
The franchisee shall give at least 30 days' notice
of its intention to change monthly rates and installation charges
for residential service by mailing notices thereof to each of the
current subscribers and to whom such charges will apply.
B.
The franchisee shall not, as to rates, charges, service
or services facilities, make or grant any undue privilege or advantage
to any party, nor subject any party to undue prejudice or disadvantage,
provided that the franchisee may establish reasonable classifications
of customers and may offer a discount to senior citizens. Nothing
in this chapter prohibits the reduction or waiving of charges in connection
with promotional campaigns or for the purpose of attracting subscribers
or users.
Provided that federal law permits local regulation
of rates for cable services, and subject to compliance with such federal
law, if, at any time during the existence of any franchise granted
pursuant to this chapter, the Board shall find that it is in the public
interest to regulate rates or services for the franchise, the rates
and service of the franchise hereunder shall thereafter be regulated
by such one or more resolutions as may be adopted from time to time
by the Board establishing rates or services applicable to the franchise.