(A) The Town Administrator of the Town is designated as having primary responsibility for the continuing administration of all franchises and implementation of procedures for the reporting and resolution of complaints.
(B) During the term of all franchises and any renewal thereof, a company shall maintain a customer service center in the Town for the purpose of receiving and resolving all complaints regarding the quality of service, equipment malfunctions and similar matters. A company shall provide subscribers with a local, toll-free telephone number to receive complaints regarding the quality of service, equipment malfunctions and similar matters.
(C) As subscribers are connected or reconnected to the system, the company shall, by appropriate means, such as a card or brochure, furnish information concerning the procedures for making inquiries or complaints, including the name, address and local telephone number of the employee or employees or agent to whom such inquiries or complaints are to be addressed and furnish information concerning the Town office responsible for administration of all franchises with the address and telephone number of the office.
(D) When there have been similar complaints made or where there exists other evidence which, in the judgment of the Town, casts doubt on the reliability or quality of cable service furnished by a company, the Town shall have the right and authority to require such company to test, analyze and report on the performance of its system. A company shall fully cooperate with the Town in performing such testing and shall prepare results and a report, if requested, within 30 days after notice. The report shall include the following information:
(1) The nature of the complaint(s) or problem(s) which precipitated the special tests;
(2) What system component was tested;
(3) The equipment used and procedures employed in testing;
(4) The method, if any, in which such complaint(s) or problem(s) was resolved;
(5) Any other information pertinent to the tests and analysis which may be required.
(E) The Town may require that tests be supervised, at a company’s expense, by a licensed professional engineer not on the permanent staff of such company (“outside engineer”). The outside engineer shall sign all records of special tests and forward to the Town such records with a report interpreting the results of the tests and recommending actions to be taken. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the outside engineer concludes in his or her report that the cable system provided by such company meets the FCC technical standards or that the cause of the problem to the cable system is not the fault of the company, then the expense of the outside engineer shall be borne by the Town.
(F) The Town’s right under this section shall be limited to requiring tests, analysis and reports covering specific subjects and characteristics based on complaints or other evidence when and under such circumstances as the Town has reasonable grounds to believe that the complaints or other evidence require that tests be performed to protect the public against substandard cable service.
(`83 Code, § 13-525)