(A) The grantee shall render efficient service, make installations and repairs promptly and interrupt service only for good cause and for the shortest time possible. Service interruptions, insofar as possible, shall be preceded by notice and shall occur during periods of minimum use of the system. The grantee shall make a record of all service interruptions. At a minimum, record shall be made of the date, time, and duration of the interruption, what subscribers were subject to the interruption, and the cause of the interruption. Subscribers who notify the grantee that their service has been interrupted shall be entitled to a pro rate refund of their cable fees whenever the total time that service is interrupted during a billing period exceeds 24 hours.
(B) Under normal operating conditions, each of the following standards will be met no less than 95% of the time, as measured on a quarterly basis. For the purpose of compliance with the terms of this chapter and the franchise agreement, if the town government determines that there have been violations of these standards, the grantee has the burden of proving to the town government’s satisfaction that the violations are not in excess of the 95% compliance requirement.
(1) Standard installations will be performed within seven business days after an order has been placed, and for a charge of no more than the grantee’s advertised installation rate. Standard installations are those that are located up to 125 feet from the existing distribution system. Installations that are not standard shall be performed within 21 business days of an order for the installation being placed, unless the site is a part of a franchise area extension occurring within the six months of the request for installation. Installations that are not standard may be performed for a charge based on the grantee’s use of materials and labor costs.
(2) Cable lines used to connect subscribers to the grantee’s distribution system shall be properly buried or safely elevated above ground by attachment to properly placed utility poles within 21 days of a service installation unless conditions beyond the control of the grantee, such as weather-related conditions, require delay. When conditions require delay in burying or properly elevating cable line connections to subscribers, that work shall be completed as soon as conditions permit the work to be done.
(3) Excluding conditions beyond the control of the grantee, work will begin promptly on service interruptions to restore service, and in no event will work begin later than 24 hours after the interruption becomes known. The grantee must begin actions to correct other service problems the next business day after notification of the service problem.
(4) The appointment window alternatives for installations, service calls, and other installation activities will be either a specific time or, at maximum, a four-hour time block during normal business hours. Service calls and other installation activities may be scheduled outside of normal business hours for the express convenience of the customer.
(5) The grantee’s representatives may not cancel an appointment with a customer after the close of business on the business day prior to the scheduled appointment.
(6) If the grantee’s representative is running late for an appointment with a customer and will not be able to keep the appointment as scheduled, the customer will be contacted. The appointment will be rescheduled, as necessary, at a time which is convenient for the customer.
(2011 Code, § 111.107) (Ord. 2000-4, passed 7-17-2000) Penalty, see § 111.999