Connecticut General Statutes 16-331ff – Certain third-party nonprofit community access provider requirements re education and government access channels and town-specific community access programming
(a) Any third-party nonprofit community access provider serving six municipalities, one of which has a population of more than one hundred thirty thousand, shall, upon request from any town organization, authority, body or official within its service territory, provide written consent, pursuant to its service provider agreements, for said town organization, authority, body or official to (1) operate education and government public access channels in that town, and (2) engage freely and directly the community antenna television company providing services in that town to use their headend equipment for dissemination of town-specific community access programming on such channels. Said third-party nonprofit community access provider must grant such written consent to said requesting town organization, authority, body or official within three business days. Written consent not provided within three business days shall be deemed granted.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 16-331ff
- Authority: means the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and "department" means the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. See Connecticut General Statutes 16-1
- Community antenna television company: includes every person owning, leasing, maintaining, operating, managing or controlling a community antenna television system, in, under or over any public street or highway, for the purpose of providing community antenna television service for hire and shall include any municipality which owns or operates one or more plants for the manufacture or distribution of electricity pursuant to section 7-213 or any special act and seeks to obtain or obtains a certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct or operate a community antenna television system pursuant to section 16-331 or a certificate of cable franchise authority pursuant to section 16-331q. See Connecticut General Statutes 16-1
(b) If a third-party nonprofit provider fails to provide written consent within three days, pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall, upon a request from a town organization, authority, body or official within the service territory of that third-party nonprofit community access provider serving six municipalities, one of which has a population of more than one hundred thirty thousand, (1) terminate, revoke or rescind such third party nonprofit provider’s service agreement to provide public access programming within one hundred eighty days, and (2) reopen the application process to secure a community access provider for each of the towns within the affected service territory.