(a) No OVS transfer shall occur without prior written notice to and the approval of the council.
(b) An OVS franchisee shall promptly notify the city of any proposed transfer, and submit an application for its approval.
(1) The cable coordinator may specify information that must be provided in connection with a transfer application. At a minimum, an application must: describe the entities involved in the transaction and the entity that will hold the franchise; describe the chain of ownership before and after the proposed transaction; show that the entity that will hold the franchise will be legally, financially, and technically qualified to do so; attach complete information on the proposed transaction, including, but not limited to, the contracts or other documents that relate to the proposed transaction, and all documents, schedules, exhibits, or the like referred to therein; and attach any shareholder reports or filings with the SEC that discuss the transaction.
(2) For the purposes of determining whether it shall consent to a transfer, the city or its agents may inquire into all qualifications of the prospective transferee and such other matters as the city may deem necessary to determine whether the transfer is in the public interest and should be approved, denied, or conditioned. If the transferee or OVS franchisee refuses to provide information, or provides incomplete information, the request for transfer may be denied.
(c) In deciding whether a transfer application should be granted, denied or granted subject to conditions, the city may consider: the legal, financial, and technical qualifications of the transferee to operate the OVS; whether the incumbent OVS franchisee is in compliance with its OVS franchise and this chapter and, if not, the proposed transferee's commitment to cure such noncompliance within the time required by applicable law; whether the transferee owns or controls any other OVS or cable system in the city, and whether operation by the transferee may eliminate or reduce competition in the delivery of cable service in the city; and whether operation by the transferee or approval of the transfer would adversely affect the interests of subscribers, the public, or the city under this chapter, the OVS franchise, or other applicable law.
(d) In order to obtain approval of a transfer, an applicant must show, at a minimum, that: the transferee is qualified; the transfer will not adversely affect the interests of subscribers, the public, or the city; and chapter and franchise non-compliance issues have been resolved. No application shall be granted unless the transferee agrees in writing that it will abide by and accept all terms of this chapter and the OVS franchise, and that it will assume the obligations, liabilities, and responsibility for all acts and omissions, known and unknown, of the previous franchisee for all purposes. The proposed transferee shall pay all reasonable costs incurred by the city in reviewing and evaluating the applications.
(Ord. 4636 § 27, 2000)