(a) Each community antenna television company shall inform the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, each subscriber, the chairpersons of the joint standing committee having cognizance of matters relating to public utilities and the chairperson of the company's advisory council of any planned programming or rate changes not less than thirty days unless otherwise required by federal law prior to implementing such changes unless (1) such changes are required by law to be made in less than thirty days, or (2) the authority prescribes a longer or shorter notice period in appropriate circumstances where such longer or shorter notice period is in the best interest of the company's subscribers. The company's advisory council may hold an advisory public hearing concerning the planned changes and may then make a recommendation to the company prior to the planned implementation date. The authority shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
(b) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall file a written certification with the Federal Communications Commission for designation as the franchising authority exercising the regulatory authority permitted under the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992, P.L. 102-385.
(c) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall encourage cooperation between community antenna television companies and local television broadcast stations in order to further the public interest concerning the provision of video programming and community antenna television services, thus ensuring the widest possible range of programming choices for all residents of the state at the lowest possible cost to all residents of the state.
(P.A. 81-393, S. 3; P.A. 88-202, S. 5; P.A. 91-244, S. 3; P.A. 93-28, S. 1, 2; P.A. 98-121, S. 9; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1, S. 7; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 88-202 amended the section by requiring each company to notify each subscriber and the chairpersons of the energy committee of any programming change and that each notice be made not less than 45 days prior to the change unless a short time prescribed by law or the department prescribes a different time; P.A. 91-244 added provision requiring information about rate changes to be provided to the department, subscribers, the advisory council and the energy and public utilities committee; P.A. 93-28 designated former provisions as Subsec. (a), amended Subsec. (a) by increasing the notice requirement from 45 to 60 days, added provision authorizing advisory councils to hold public hearings and requiring regulations concerning the Subsec. rather than the Sec., added a new Subsec. (b) requiring the department to file with the FCC as the regulatory authority, and added a new Subsec. (c) requiring the department to encourage cooperation between community antenna television companies and local television broadcast stations, effective May 4, 1993; P.A. 98-121 amended Subsec. (a) by changing notice from 60 days to 30 days; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 made a technical change to Subsec. (a); pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Department of Public Utility Control” and “department” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority” and “authority”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011.
Structure Connecticut General Statutes
Title 16 - Public Service Companies
Section 16-330a. - Definitions.
Section 16-330b. - Broadband Internet access service map.
Section 16-330c. - Broadband Internet access service grant program. Report. Report to Governor.
Section 16-330e. - Access by broadband Internet service providers to occupied buildings.
Section 16-331a. - Community access programming and operations.
Section 16-331aa. - Imposition of civil penalties by authority.
Section 16-331b. - Members of community antenna advisory councils to serve without compensation.
Section 16-331bb. - Municipal video competition trust account.
Section 16-331e. - Certificate of video franchise authority.
Section 16-331ee. - State-wide Community Antenna Television Advisory Council. Membership.
Section 16-331g. - Discrimination based on income prohibited.
Section 16-331h. - Certified competitive video service community access programming.
Section 16-331hh. - Transfer from municipal video competition trust account to General Fund.
Section 16-331i. - State-wide Video Advisory Council. Membership. Duties. Funding.
Section 16-331k. - Video programming and rate changes.
Section 16-331l. - Interrupted video service.
Section 16-331m. - Video service providers' closed captioning and emergency broadcast systems.
Section 16-331n. - Free video service for libraries and schools.
Section 16-331o. - Imposition of civil penalties by authority.
Section 16-331q. - Requirements for holders of certificates of cable franchise authority.
Section 16-331r. - Discrimination based on income prohibited.
Section 16-331t. - Holder of a certificate of cable franchise authority: Advisory council.
Section 16-331v. - Cable franchise authority companies' programming and rate changes.
Section 16-331w. - Interrupted cable franchise authority service.
Section 16-332. - Leases by public service companies of facilities for community antenna purposes.
Section 16-333b. - Service to franchise area. Underground service lines.
Section 16-333c. - Availability of equipment for subscribers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Section 16-333d. - Discrimination among subscribers prohibited.
Section 16-333e. - Credit or refund for interrupted service.
Section 16-333f. - Programming and rate changes. Regulatory authority. Industry cooperation.
Section 16-333g. - Free basic service for libraries and schools.
Section 16-333h. - Extension of service to schools. Instructional channels.
Section 16-333i. - Procedures for restoring interrupted service and improving substandard service.
Section 16-333k. - Office operating requirements. Office hours. Complaint or dispute procedures.
Section 16-333l. - Company offerings and charges. Billing and billing dispute procedures.
Section 16-333m. - Limitations on charges for disconnection or downgrade of service.
Section 16-333n. - Penalty for reduction of community antenna television service without notice.
Section 16-333o. - Rate regulation of community antenna television systems.