(a) A CATV system shall be designed for operation twenty-four hours per day and shall endure service interruptions only for good cause and for a reasonable time. Interruptions of service shall be for the shortest time possible.
(b) A grantee shall maintain an office within Livingston County which shall be open to the general public during normal business hours. Office hours shall be no less than 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with extended hours one evening per week and Saturdays, if the demand and use so warrant.
(c) A grantee shall have a publicly listed local telephone number. A grantee shall employ an operator, maintain a telephone answering device or otherwise be able to receive subscriber telephone calls twenty-four hours per day, each day of the year. A log shall be maintained by a grantee listing all subscriber complaints, their disposition and all service interruptions affecting five or more subscribers. Said log shall be available for inspection by the City upon reasonable notice.
(d) A grantee shall maintain installation and repair service capable of making installations within seven days and repairs within forty-eight hours after a request.
(e) Upon failure of a grantee to remedy a loss of service within twenty-four hours of receipt of notification of such loss from a subscriber, the grantee shall automatically rebate one-thirtieth of the regular monthly charge to each subscriber so affected, for each twenty-four hours or fraction thereof, until service is restored, unless restoration is prevented by a cause beyond the control of the grantee.
(f) A grantee shall not deny, delay or otherwise burden cable service or use of access facilities or otherwise discriminate against subscribers or users on the basis of age, race, creed, color, sex, national origin or marital status. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit establishing discounts, as provided in Section 803.07(j).
(g) Any change made by a grantee in its programming (channels carried), except those of an emergency nature beyond the grantee's control, shall not become effective until the grantee notifies the City Clerk and its subscribers at least thirty days in advance. Notification must be made in writing to each subscriber.
(h) Every cable television system franchise issued pursuant to this chapter shall provide for not less than three channels, one each for the public, educational and City access channels, capable of carrying digital, video and audio transmissions pursuant to the provisions of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, Section 611 (47 USC 531).
(i) This chapter shall not be construed to limit the authority of a grantee to make payments in support of the use of public, educational and governmental access channels.
(j) Use of facilities and equipment for public access upon the cable television system shall be made available at a reasonable location as specified by the grantee and based upon reasonable notice, without rental or other like charges whatsoever, for use twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week, in connection with the production of public access programming to be cablecast upon the cable television system. Personnel for training and assistance shall be available during normal business hours. First-time users shall not be required to make a deposit; however, the grantee may charge any user its cost of repairing any equipment damaged by abuse or negligence and may demand payment and a deposit of an equal amount prior to re-issuing equipment to the same user. A grantee shall establish reasonable rules and procedures designed to promote the utilization of such public, educational and governmental access programming, subject to the approval of the City, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
(k) A grantee shall make all reasonable efforts to coordinate the cablecasting of public, educational and/or governmental access programming upon the CATV system at the same time and upon the same channel designations as such programming is cablecast upon other cable television systems within the area.
(l) To the extent that it is technically and economically feasible, the cable system shall be interconnected with other cable systems within or contiguous to the City so as to enable each cable system to carry and cablecast the public, educational and governmental access programming of the other cable systems. Interconnection of cable systems may be done by direct cable connection, microwave link, satellite or other appropriate method. The cost of such interconnection shall be equally shared by each grantee.
(Ord. 615. Passed 9-5-95.)