HomeMy WebLinkAbout91-43 - Amending a Non-Exclusive Franchise with Comcast Cablevision to Construct, Maintain and Operate a Community Antenna Television System within the CityORDINANCE NO. 91 -43
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
AMENDING A NON - EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE WITH
COMCAST CABLEVISION TO CONSTRUCT,
MAINTAIN AND OPERATE A COMMUNITY
ANTENNA TELEVISION SYSTEM WITHIN THE
CITY
0 RECITALS
THIS ORDINANCE is made with respect to the following:
WHEREAS, City desires to amend the franchise originally
granted by the City to Warner Brothers, TV Services, Incorporated
by Ordinance No. 1197 dated December 7, 1966 subsequently
transferred to Newport Beach Cablevision Incorporated and
amended December 14, 1970 by Ordinance No. 1365 and ultimately
transferred to COMCAST Cablevision by City Council Resolution No.
86 -25 dated April 14, 1986; and
WHEREAS, the existing franchise granted to COMCAST
Cablevision provides that the City may unilaterally amend its
• ordinances governing the granting of such franchises; and
WHEREAS, City desires to amend the franchise granted to
COMCAST Cablevision to reference certain amendments to the
ordinances of the City enabling the granting of such franchises; and
WHEREAS, City desires to extend the term of the franchise
originally granted by Ordinance No. 1197;
NOW THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Newport Beach
does ordain as follows:
SECTION I. Section 1 of Ordinance No. 1197 is hereby amended
to read as follows:
"SECTION 1. Definitions.
Wherever in this ordinance the following words or
• phrases are used, they shall have the respective meanings assigned
to them in the following definitions; and words or phrases not
defined in this section which are defined in any franchise document
shall
have the same meaning in
this ordinance
assigned to them in
such
franchise document, unless
the context in
which they are used
shall
clearly indicate a different
meaning:
(a) 'Grantee' shall mean COMCAST Cablevision, its
employees, agents, successors and assigns.
(b) 'Franchise Documents' shall mean and shall include
all of the following:
(1) Article XIII of the Charter of the City of
• Newport Beach.
(2) Chapter 5.44 of Title 5 of the Newport Beach
Municipal Code as the same now exists or as it may hereafter be
amended.
(3) The written acceptance of CATV Franchise
filed with the City by the Grantee.
(c) 'Street' shall mean the surface of and the space
above and below any public street, road, highway, freeway, lane,
path, alley, court, sidewalk, parkway, or right of way whether or not
improved, now or hereafter existing as such throughout the City."
"SECTION 2. Grant of Franchise.
(a) There is hereby granted to COMCAST Cablevision ,
• by the City a nonexclusive franchise to construct, erect, operate and
maintain, in, upon, along, across, above, over and under the public
streets, alleys, public ways and public places, now or in the future
dedicated for public use in the City, poles, wires, cables,
underground conduits, manholes and other television conductors,
appurtenances and fixtures necessary or convenient for the
maintenance and operation in the City of a community antenna
television system to transmit television and FM radio signals, within
all of the territory within the boundaries of the City of Newport
Beach as such boundaries exist on the effective date of this
ordinance or as may exist during the term of this franchise.
(b) The Primary Franchise Area as defined by Chapter
5.44 of Title 5 of the Newport Beach Municipal Code is described on
the map attached as Exhibit A and hereby made a part hereof.
SECTION 3. Section 4 of Ordinance No. 1197 is amended
to read as follows:
OA
"SECTION 4. Term of Franchise.
(a) This franchise commenced January 27, 1967 and
• shall terminate on January 27, 2002.
SECTION 4. Section 8 of Ordinance No. 1197 is amended
to read as follows:
"SECTION 8. Prohibited Activities of Grantee.
Grantee shall be prohibited from directly or
indirectly doing any of the following:
(a) Engaging in the business of selling at retail,
leasing, renting, repairing or servicing of television sets, radios or
other receiving apparatus, or any part or component thereof.
(b) Providing any repair service to its
subscribers, for a fee or otherwise, which extends beyond the
connection of its service and the determination by Grantee of the
quality of its signal to its subscribers.
(c) Soliciting, referring, or causing or permitting
the solicitation or referral of any subscriber to any specific named
persons, firms or corporations engaged in any business which
Grantee is prohibited from engaging in by the provisions hereof."
SECTION 5. Section 12 of Ordinance No. 1197 is amended
to read as follows:
"SECTION 12. Annual Franchise Fee.
• The Grantee shall pay annually to the City during
the life of this franchise for the privilege of operating a CATV
system under this franchise a sum equivalent to five percent (5 %) of
the Gross Annual Receipts from its operations within the City. Such
fees shall be paid on a quarterly basis."
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SECTION 6. Additional Conditions
Grantee shall, as a condition of this franchise, provide the
following:
(a) On or before January 27, 1994, a dedicated
educational access channel, a dedicated fire department channel and
• a video camera, scrambling equipment, and cable connection to the
Fire Department to enable cablecasts from the Fire Department
Headquarters located at City Hall to all fire stations operated by the
City. The specifications for this equipment shall be prescribed by
the City Manager and the costs thereof shall be shared by all CATV
grantees in proportion to their number of subscribers within the
City.
(b) On or before January 27, 1997, modifications to its
CATV System to enable the transmission of fifty -four (54) or more
television channels to its subscribers.
SECTION 7. This ordinance shall be published once in the
• official newspaper of the City, and the same shall become effective
30 days from and after the date of its adoption; provided, however,
that the amendments to the franchise hereby approved shall not
become effective unless and until the Grantee files written
acceptance thereof in the manner specified in Section 7 of this
ordinance and delivers to the City all bonds and insurance policies
required to be furnished in accordance with the requirements of
Chapter 5.44 of Title 5 of the Newport Beach Municipal Code.
SECTION 8. Acceptance of Franchise.
This franchise shall not become effective for any purpose
unless and until written acceptance thereof shall have been filed
• with the City Clerk; and such written acceptance shall be in form and
substance as shall be prescribed by the City Attorney and shall be
and operate as an acceptance of each and every term, condition and
limitation contained herein, or otherwise specified by ordinance or
resolution of the City Council. Said written acceptance shall be filed
by the Grantee not later than 12:01 P.M. of the fifteenth (15th) day
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next following the date of the adoption by the Council of this
ordinance; and, in default of the filing of such written acceptance as
herein required, Grantee shall be deemed to have rejected and
repudiated the same; and thereafter, the acceptance of any such
• Grantee shall not be received by the City Clerk, and such Grantee
shall have no rights, remedies, or redress in the premises, unless
and until the City Council shall, by resolution, determine that such
acceptance be received or filed, and then upon such terms and
conditions as the Council may impose.
SECTION 9. Ordinance No. 1365 is hereby repealed
and all other ordinances amending Ordinance No. 1197 are hereby
repealed.
This ordinance was introduced at a regular meeting of the
City Council of the City of Newport Beach held on the 28th day
of October , 1991, and was adopted on the 12th day of
• November , 1991, by the following vote, to wit:
ATTEST:
CTrY CLERK
AYES, COUNCIL MEMBERS_ HEDGES, WATT,
TURNER, SANSONE, HART, COX, PLUMMER
NOES, COUNCIL MEMBERS_ NONE
ABSENT COUNCIL MEMBER: NONE
MAYOR
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