2003 Minnesota Statutes

     238.01 Declaration of legislative findings and intent. 

    Upon investigation of the public interest associated with 
 cable communications, the legislature of the state of Minnesota 
 has determined that while cable communications serve in part as 
 an extension of interstate broadcasting, that their operations 
 also involve public rights-of-way, municipal franchising, and 
 vital business and community service, which are of state 
 concern; that while said operations must be subject to state 
 oversight, they also must be protected from undue restraint and 
 regulation so as to assure development of cable systems with 
 optimum technology and maximum penetration in this state as 
 rapidly as economically and technically feasible; that the 
 municipalities and the state would benefit from valuable 
 educational and public services through cable communications 
 systems; that the cable communications industry must provide the 
 opportunity for minority participation and benefit which its 
 diversity promises; that the public and the business community 
 would benefit if served by cable channels sufficient to meet the 
 needs of producers and distributors of program and other 
 communication content services; that the cable communications 
 industry is in a period of rapid growth and corporate 
 consolidation and should proceed in accord with regional and 
 statewide service objectives; that these objectives should 
 encourage areawide service where consistent with the public 
 interest and discourage concentration of control and ownership 
 when not in the public interest; and that many municipalities 
 lack the necessary resources and expertise to plan for and 
 secure these benefits and to protect subscribers and other 
 parties to the public interest in franchise negotiations. 

    There is, therefore, a need to develop a state cable 
 communications policy; to promote the rapid development of the 
 cable communications industry responsive to community and public 
 interest and consonant with policies, regulations and statutes 
 of the federal government; to assure that cable communications 
 companies provide adequate, economical and efficient service to 
 their subscribers, the municipalities within which they are 
 franchised and other parties to the public interest; to 
 encourage the endeavors of public and private institutions, 
 municipalities, associations and organizations in developing 
 programming for public interest; and to provide minorities with 
 the fullest opportunity to make effective use of the medium. 

    It is the intent of the legislature in this chapter to 
 oversee development of the cable communications industry in 
 Minnesota; to review the suitability to practices for 
 franchising cable communications companies to protect the public 
 interest; to set standards for cable communications systems and 
 franchise practices; to assure channel availability for 
 municipal services, educational television, program diversity, 
 local expression and other program and communications content 
 services; to assure that municipal franchising results in 
 communication across metropolitan areas and in neighborhood 
 communities in larger municipalities; to provide guidance to 
 community organizations and municipalities in franchise 
 negotiations; and, to stimulate the development of diverse 
 instructional, educational, community interest and public 
 affairs programming with full access thereto by cable 
 communications companies, educational broadcasters and public 
 and private institutions operating closed circuit television 
 systems and instructional television fixed services. 

    HIST: 1973 c 568 s 1; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1980 c 509 s 85; 1985 c 
 285 s 10