(a) No person shall construct, install, maintain or operate a cable communications system in the City or provide a cable communications service or acquire ownership or control of a cable communications company in the City without first obtaining a franchise therefor from the City. Such franchise shall be in the form of a franchise agreement between the City and the franchisee and shall include, at a minimum, compliance with this chapter.
(b) No person shall use, occupy or traverse City streets, alleys, lanes, avenues, boulevards, sidewalks, bridges, viaducts, right of ways or other public places or ways, or any extensions thereof or additions thereto, whether on, above or under the surface of the ground, for the purposes of installing, constructing, maintaining or operating a cable communications system or facilities therefor, or for the purpose of furnishing a cable communications service, without first obtaining a franchise therefor from the City. Such franchise shall be in the form of franchise agreement between the City and the franchisee and shall include, at a minimum, compliance with this chapter.
(c) The specifications required by this chapter are minimum requirements of a franchise agreement. Additional requirements, including, but not limited to, rates, charges, deposits, specifications regarding required interconnections, studios or other signal origination facilities, number of channels to be equipped and available for immediate use upon initial construction of the system, use of channels by the City, schools and other educational institutions, quality of community access, availability of equipment to users, required establishment and expansion of the service area, other use of channels and other specifications or requirements of a cable communications franchisee or system may be established in the franchise agreement.
(Ord. 175. Passed 7-21-81.)