Legislative Session number- 81

Bill Name: SF3634

Modifying, clarifying and recodifying cable and modem communications provisions;
defining certain terms and stating a purpose; granting cities, towns or counties
or joint powers cable communications commissions the exclusive authority to
grant nonexclusive franchises to cable service providers to provide cable
service within franchise areas in the state, requiring a franchise to provide
cable service, specifying certain granting restrictions; providing for local
franchising authority enforcement of certain customer service obligations;
requiring local authorities to regulate rates, requiring a list of current
subscriber rates and charges to be on file with the authority; requiring cable
service providers to provide emergency alert override capabilities for use in
emergencies; facilitating the activation of a metropolitan area interconnected
regional channel to be uniformly carried on VHF channel 6 to provide a broad
range of informational, educational and public service programs and materials to
metropolitan area cable subscribers, requiring the metropolitan council to
appoint the governing body of the regional channel entity; providing for public,
educational or governmental access channels; regulating franchise fees;
specifying certain cable service provider reporting requirements; authorizing
local franchising authority revocation of franchises for certain franchise or
statutory violations; requiring local authority review of franchise transfers;
requiring franchise renewal proceedings to be conducted according to federal and
local laws and procedures; providing for franchise amendments; specifying
certain general and specific franchise content requirements, requiring certain
indemnity, liability, insurance, bond. complaint and franchise termination
provisions and the inclusion of certain technical standards, authorizing certain
additional terms and conditions consistent with federal and state laws;
authorizing and restricting the use of existing utility easements to install,
maintain and remove equipment and facilities; requiring pole, duct and conduit
agreements to require cable service providers to apply for and receive permits
from public utility companies before attaching to pole or conduit systems and
requiring a related public utility liability immunity provision, insurance
requirement; providing for municipal cable service providers and authorizing the
creation of joint cable communications commissions; specifying certain conduit
and interconnection requirements; providing for service to public institutions
at no charge; exempting modem service from regulation, authorizing local
government units to charge franchise fees; making conforming amendments to
certain statutory provisions relating to property exempt from ad valorem taxes
and the power of the metropolitan council to appoint individuals to the
governing body of the cable communications metropolitan interconnected regional
channel entity; exempting sales of cable communications related machinery,
equipment and supplies to local government units acting as local franchising
authorities from the sales tax; repealing certain existing provisions regulating
cable communications companies (mk)