(A) Applications for a franchise or franchise renewal shall include proposals for the provision of public, educational and governmental access channels sufficient to meet community needs during term of franchise as determined by city. A franchisee or applicant shall specify what grants, if any, it is willing to make for studio equipment and facilities to be used for local program production by all cable access users.
(B) All access channel operations must conform to the following minimum requirements:
(1) The city may require that a franchisee provide studio space for access use. Access channels shall be carried on the franchisee’s lowest priced service offering.
(2) The franchisee shall have no control over the content of any programming carried on access channels. The city may require a franchisee, or select a non-profit corporation or other entity, to manage the access program and to establish reasonable rules for the use of access channels consistent with the requirements of this chapter, the franchise agreement and the intended purpose of such channels. Such rules shall be subject to review and approval by the city.
(3) The use of any public access channel shall be made available to any city resident on a nondiscriminatory basis at no charge for channel use. Where access studio facilities are located on a franchisee’s premises, the franchisee shall make its personnel available for consultation and assistance to access uses at no charge provided that such personnel can be spared from their normal duties.
(C) At the request of a franchisee, the city shall promulgate rules under which channel capacity dedicated to access use may be used by the franchisee when it is not being used for access purposes.
(Ord. 89-15, passed 5-8-89)