[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of East Allen 10-11-1990 by Ord. No. 90-8. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Streets and sidewalks — See Ch. 208.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Township of East Allen Cable Television Franchise Ordinance.”
For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the present tense include the future, words in the plural number include the singular number, words in the singular number include the plural number, and words in the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender. The word “shall” is always mandatory and not merely directory.
BOARD
The Board of Supervisors of the Township of East Allen, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEM or SYSTEM
A system of antennas, cables, wires, lines, towers, waveguides or other conductors, converters, equipment or facilities designed and constructed for the purpose of producing, receiving, amplifying and distributing audio, video and other forms of electronic or electrical signals, located in said Township.
FRANCHISEE
Any duly approved person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company or organization of any kind operating under a franchise granted pursuant to § 80-3 of this chapter.
GROSS RECEIPTS
Monetary charges of any character whatever, including donations, contributions or dues, or membership fee (periodical or otherwise) charged or paid in any manner received, as herein provided, from the general public, directly or indirectly, for the privilege of receiving any television signal, or electronic impulse, which is transmitted through cables or wires, or a system of cables or wires, which pass on, over, under or along the streets within the Township. Gross receipts shall include monthly service charges but shall not include monies received as installation charges and charges for reconnections, repairs, or modifications of any installations.
PERSON
Any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company or organization of any kind.
STREET
Any street, alley, public way and public place as now laid out, whether opened or unopened, dedicated to public use, and all extensions or additions thereof as may now or hereafter be made.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of East Allen, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
From and after the enactment of this chapter, no cable television system shall be constructed, installed or operated in the Township unless such construction, installation or operation shall first have been authorized by ordinance of the Township duly enacted. This chapter shall not restrict the number of franchises granted pursuant to this chapter.
Any franchise granted under § 80-3 of this chapter shall be for a period of 15 years from the effective date of the grant of the franchise. Nothing contained therein shall be construed to limit the Township’s ability to adjust the franchise fee on gross receipts as set forth in § 80-6 herein in accordance with changes in applicable state and federal statutes.
Any franchise granted under § 80-3 of this chapter shall include the nonexclusive right and privilege to construct, erect, operate and maintain buildings, cables, wirings, machinery and transmission apparatus within the Township limits, as it now is, and as it hereafter may be constituted by revision, modification or addition and which said buildings, cables, wiring, machinery and transmission apparatus may or shall become necessary in the reception and distribution of television and radio signals and other electronic impulses for the use of the citizens of the Township, on, over, along or under the streets of the Township, and also to repair, replace, and extend the same and to do all manner of things necessary or incidental to such business, subject always to the rules, conditions and provisions of this chapter and other rules and ordinances of the Township.
For and in consideration of the rights and privileges granted herein, the franchisee, during each year of operation under this chapter, shall pay to the Township a fee of 5% of the annual gross receipts received by the franchisee. Such annual payments shall be in lieu of any occupation tax, license tax or similar levy. The franchisee shall maintain an accurate record of such gross receipts earnings and shall submit to the Township within 30 days after the expiration of any calendar year during the term of the rights granted herein, an audited statement prepared by a certified public accountant showing the gross receipts as defined herein.
The franchisee shall keep full, true, accurate and current books of account, which books and records shall be made available for inspection and copying by the Township at all reasonable times.
Rates charged by the franchisee for service hereunder shall be fair and reasonable and designed to meet all necessary costs of the service, including a fair rate of return on the net valuation of its property devoted thereto, under efficient and economical management. The franchisee agrees that it shall be subject to all authority now and hereafter possessed by the Township, or any other regulatory body having competent jurisdiction, to fix just, reasonable and compensatory television signal distribution rates. If during the term of a franchise granted under this chapter the franchisee receives refunds, or if the cost to the franchisee of receiving the television signal which it relays is reduced, by order of any regulatory body having competent jurisdiction, the franchisee shall pass on to its customers such refunds or any savings resulting from such reduced costs.
A. 
There is hereby granted to each franchisee the right, privilege and authority to lease, rent or in any other legal manner obtain the use of towers, poles, lines, cables and other equipment and facilities from any and all holders of public licenses and franchises within the corporate limits of the Township, including the Bell Telephone Company and the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company, and to use such towers, poles, lines, cables and other equipment and facilities, subject to all existing and future ordinances and regulations of the Township. To the extent possible, the poles used for the franchisee’s system shall be those maintained and erected by the Bell Telephone Company or the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company, when and where practicable, providing mutually satisfactory rental agreements can be entered into with said companies. It is the stated intention of the Township that all other holders of public licenses and franchises within the corporate limits of the Township, including Bell Telephone Company and Pennsylvania Power and Light Company, shall cooperate with franchisees approved under this chapter to allow joint usage of their poles and pole-line facilities whenever possible or whenever such usage does not interfere with the normal operation of said poles and pole lines so that the number of new or additional poles constructed by the franchisee within the Township may be minimized.
B. 
Nothing herein, however, shall be interpreted as meaning that the Township conveys or gives to the franchisee the right to use the poles or facilities of the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company or the Bell Telephone Company, or the property of any utility, railroad or private corporation, partnership or individual, without first obtaining permission from said parties.
A. 
Each franchisee’s transmission and distribution system, poles, wires and appurtenances shall be located, erected and maintained so as not to endanger or interfere with the lives of persons or to interfere with new improvements the Township may deem proper to make, or to unnecessarily hinder or obstruct the free use of the streets; removal of poles to avoid such interference will be at the franchisee’s expense. All such installations shall comply with the safety and construction standards of the National Electric Safety Code, National Electric Code of the National Board of Fire Underwriters and of the municipal ordinance of the Township.
B. 
All installations of equipment shall be of a permanent nature, durable and installed in accordance with good engineering practices, and of sufficient height to comply with all existing Township regulations, ordinances and state laws so as not to interfere in any manner with the right of the public or individual property owner, and shall not interfere with the travel and use of public places by the public and during construction, repair or removal thereof shall not obstruct or impede traffic.
C. 
No poles, cables, equipment or wires shall be installed or the installation thereof commenced until the proposed location of said poles, cables, equipment and wires shall have been set forth on a plat or map showing the streets, alleys or highways within the Township, whereon such installations are proposed and submitted to the Board for approval by it or its designated official.
D. 
In the event that a change is made in the grade of public streets by the authority of the Township, which shall necessitate the removal of any poles, wires, transmission and distribution lines to conform to the change of grade, the franchisee shall make the necessary changes in its lines at its own expense, upon due notice from the Board or its designated official, to do so
E. 
In the installation and maintenance of its cables, equipment, wires and poles, the franchisee shall not interfere with the public use of any street, alley or highway more than necessary to enable the franchisee to perform the necessary installation and maintenance work with proper economy and efficiency. When necessary in order not to interfere unduly with traffic and the rights of the traveling public, the Board or its designated official may determine the hours within which such shall be performed and fix a time within which such work shall be completed.
F. 
All work in any way necessitated by the business of the franchisee which may involve the opening, breaking up or tearing up of a portion of a street, sidewalk or other part of any Township-owned or Township-controlled property shall, at the option of the Township, be done by the Township at the expense of the franchisee.
G. 
The franchisee shall maintain all poles, equipment, cables and wires erected or constructed under the provisions of this chapter in good and safe order and condition and shall at all times fully indemnify, protect and save harmless the Township from and against all actions, claims, suits, damages and charges, and against all loss and necessary expenditures arising from the erection, construction and maintenance of the said works in good and safe order and condition. In the event that the permission granted to the franchisee shall be revoked by the Township for cause shown, or in the event that the franchisee should fail or refuse to comply at any time with the terms and conditions of this chapter, or in the event that the business of the franchisee should be discontinued, voluntarily or involuntarily, then and in any said events the franchisee shall, at its own expense, remove its said poles, cables and wires, erected or constructed under the provisions of this chapter.
A. 
Franchisee and its employees shall not engage in the business of selling or servicing television receivers or parts thereof in the area served by the system.
B. 
Franchisee shall install or maintain the system in such manner so as not to interfere with television reception by use of individual antennas presently in existence or which may hereafter be installed.
The franchisee shall, at its own expense, protect, support, temporarily disconnect, relocate on the same street or remove from the street any property of the franchisee when required by the Township by reason of the traffic conditions, public safety, street vacation, freeway and street construction, change or establishment of street grade, installation of sewers, drains, water pipes, power lines, signal lines and tracks or any other types of structures or improvements by governmental agencies when acting in a governmental or proprietary capacity, or other structures of public improvement; provided, however, that the franchisee shall in all cases have the privilege and be subject to the obligation to abandon any of the franchisee’s property in place, as provided in this chapter.
The franchisee shall provide service of the system without any installation charge, monthly service charge or any charge whatsoever to all public, private and parochial schools, public libraries, municipal buildings, and police and fire stations within the area to be served by its system under this chapter.
A. 
The franchisee shall, at all times, keep in effect the following types of minimum insurance coverage:
(1) 
Statutorily mandated workman’s compensation insurance upon its employees and all other statutorily required individuals engaged in any manner in the installation or servicing of its plant and equipment within the Township.
(2) 
Property damage liability insurance of not less than $100,000 per occurrence.
(3) 
Personal injury insurance of not less than $300,000 for injury or death to any one person and $500,000 as to any one occurrence.
(4) 
This workman’s compensation insurance, property damage liability insurance, and personal injury insurance shall be written by an insurance company with a capital and/or surplus of at least $3,000,000 and the franchisee shall furnish the Township with certified copies or certificates of insurance of said policies, which shall provide that said insurance may not be cancelled unless 10 days’ prior notice is given by the insurance carrier to the Township. In addition, the Township shall be named as an additional insured party on each of the said insurance policies.
B. 
The franchisee shall indemnify, protect and save harmless the Township from and against losses and physical damages to property, or in bodily injury or death to persons, including payments made under any workman’s compensation law, which may arise out of or be caused by the erection, maintenance, presence, use or removal of aforementioned attachments or poles within the Township, or by any act of the franchisee, its agents or employees. The franchisee shall carry insurance in the above-mentioned amounts to protect the parties hereto from and against all claims, damages, actions, judgments, costs, expenses, and liabilities which may arise or result, directly or indirectly, from or by reason of such loss, damage, or injury.
It shall be the obligation of the franchisee to serve all residents of the Township except to the extent that a lack of density of homes, adverse terrain or other factors render providing service impracticable, technically unfeasible or economically noncompensatory. For purposes of determining compliance with the provisions of this section, and to provide for a reasonable and nondiscriminatory policy governing extensions of cable service within the Township, the franchisee shall extend service to such new subscribers, at a normal installation charge and monthly rate for customers of that classification, under the following terms and conditions:
A. 
Where the new subscriber, or nearest subscriber or a group of new subscribers, is located within 500 feet of existing trunk cables; and
B. 
Where the number of homes to be passed by such new extension cable plant bears the same proportional ratio to the total amount of new cable plant as the average number of homes passed per mile of existing cable plant.
Franchisee is subject to all requirements of the Township ordinances, rules and regulations and specifications of the Township heretofore or hereafter enacted, or established, including but not limited to those concerning street work, street excavation, use, removal and relocation of property within a street and other street work; provided, however, that any ordinance of the Township adopted subsequent to the date of this chapter, which effects a material change in the rights or obligations involved hereunder, shall not affect the terms and conditions hereof, except after public notice to the franchisee and following public hearing thereon.
The franchisee shall pay to the Township a sum of money sufficient to reimburse it for the expense incurred by it in connection with the publication, preparation and passage of this chapter and the rights granted to the franchisee hereunder. Such payment shall be made by the franchisee to the Township within 30 days after the Township shall furnish the franchisee with a written statement of such expense.
The grant of a franchise is governed by and subject to all applicable rules and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission. Should there be any modifications of the provisions of the rules and regulations of the Commission which must be incorporated into the franchise agreement, the Township and franchisee agree that such further action shall be accomplished within one year of the adoption of the modification.
The franchisee agrees to maintain a business office or toll-free telephone listing in or nearby to the Township for the purpose of receiving inquiries and complaints from its customers. The franchisee shall investigate all complaints within a reasonable time after their receipt and shall in good faith attempt to resolve them swiftly and equitably, excepting when cessation of service is caused by conditions beyond the control of the franchisee.
In the event that the use of any part of the system installed is discontinued for any reason by the franchisee for a continuous period of six months causing a cessation of service to subscribers of the system, or in the event that the franchisee fails to comply with any provisions of the grant, the franchisee shall immediately remove, at its own expense, from the streets and public places all such parts of the system other than any which the Township requests be abandoned in place. In the event of any such removal, the franchisee shall restore the property and areas from which such removal occurred to a condition satisfactory to the Township. Any property of the franchisee requested to be abandoned in place by the Township shall be abandoned in such a manner as the Township may prescribe, and the franchisee shall submit to the Township an instrument acceptable to the Township transferring to the Township ownership of such property.
If the Township discovers that the franchisee has engaged in pronounced and continuous violations of the terms and provisions of this chapter and/or of any other applicable local, state or federal regulations, the Township may file the appropriate action against the franchisee in a court of competent jurisdiction, seeking monetary damages, equitable relief and/or any other appropriate remedy, including, but not limited to, the revocation of the franchise granted pursuant to § 80-3 of this chapter.
Any franchise granted pursuant to § 80-3 of this chapter shall be upon express condition that the franchisee shall file with the Township a written acceptance of the same within 30 days after written notice is given to the franchisee of the grant. The ordinance granting the franchise, and the acceptance of the same by the franchisee, constitutes a contract between the Township and the franchisee for all the uses, services and purposes set forth in the ordinance.
The Township shall have the right to supervise all construction or installation work performed subject to the provisions of this chapter and to make such inspection as it shall find necessary to insure compliance with governing ordinances.