(1) The city may regulate rates except to the extent prohibited by state and federal law.
(2) Each licensee shall file with the city an up-to-date rate schedule of all subscriber and user rates, fees and charges for all cable services and products provided, which schedule shall be on file in the office of the telecommunications administrator at all times. Any and all proprietary special rates for institutions, motels, hotels, inns, multiple-family dwelling units (referred to below as "MDU" rates), shall be made available for inspection promptly upon the city's request. Should a federal agency of competent jurisdiction rule that the City has no authority to review the MDU rates for reasonableness or to prevent discrimination, then the rates would only be available for inspection on the same basis as other books and records would be available for inspection. Licensee shall file any revised rate schedule with the telecommunications administrator in accordance with the requirements of section 7A-20.
(3) The system shall be operated in a manner consistent with the principles of fairness and equal accessibility of facilities, equipment, channels, studios and other services to all residents, businesses, public agencies or other entities having a legitimate use for the system; and no one shall be arbitrarily excluded from its use. The licensee shall not discriminate in the assessment, levy, charge, imposition or collection of rates, fees or charges on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, age, disability which includes but is not limited to, HIV/AIDS, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status and/or marital status.
(4) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit the reduction or waiving of charges in conjunction with promotional campaigns for the purpose of attracting subscribers or users, so long as the promotion is bona fide, temporary, and available to all similarly situated persons throughout the city.
(5) Licensee may request in writing and city may grant, temporary authority to licensees for periods not to exceed twenty-four (24) months to offer specifically identified services, packages and combinations of services to selected groups of subscribers at terms and conditions not generally available to all subscribers. The city may refuse to grant this waiver unless it is persuaded upon sufficient showing by licensee that the temporary authority will be used solely to offer services on an experimental or test market basis, and that the services will either be withdrawn at the conclusion of the test or will be made generally available to all subscribers in a uniform, consistent and nondiscriminatory manner.
(Ord. No. 8937, § 2, 9-2-97; Ord. No. 11057, § 1, 3-27-13)