The purpose and intent of this chapter is to:
(a) Establish a local policy concerning telecommunications providers and services;
(b) Establish clear local guidelines, standards and time frames for the exercise of local authority with respect to the regulation of telecommunications providers and services;
(c) Promote competition in telecommunications;
(d) Minimize unnecessary local regulation of telecommunications providers and services;
(e) Encourage the provision of advanced and competitive telecommunications services on the widest possible basis to the businesses, institutions and residents of the municipality;
(f) Permit and manage reasonable access to the public ways of the municipality for telecommunications purposes on a competitively neutral basis;
(g) Conserve the limited physical capacity of the public ways held in public trust by the municipality;
(h) Assure that the municipality’s current and ongoing costs of granting and regulating private access to and use of the public ways are fully paid by the persons seeking such access and causing such costs;
(i) Secure fair and reasonable compensation to the municipality and the residents of the municipality for permitting private use of the public ways;
(j) Assure that all telecommunications carriers providing facilities or services within the municipality comply with the ordinances, rules and regulations of the municipality;
(k) Assure that the municipality can continue to fairly and responsibly protect the public health, safety and welfare; and
(l) Enable the municipality to discharge its public trust consistent with rapidly evolving federal and state regulatory policies, industry competition and technological development.
(Ord. 00-O-1838, passed 10-3-2000)