§ 36-76-4 — Application process for the issuance of a state franchise; fees

(a) To receive a state franchise, a cable service provider or video service provider shall file an application for a state franchise with the Secretary of State, with a copy of such application provided simultaneously to each affected municipal or county governing authority at least 45 days prior to offering cable service or video service to subscribers within a specified service area. (b) The Secretary of State may impose a fee not to exceed $500.00 for a state franchise application and a fee not to exceed $250.00 for an amendment to a state franchise. (c) The application for a state franchise shall consist of an affidavit signed by an officer or general partner of the applicant that contains each of the following: (1) An affirmative declaration that the applicant shall comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations, including municipal and county ordinances and regulations regarding the placement and maintenance of facilities in the public right of way that are generally applicable to all users of the public right of way and specifically including Chapter 9 of Title 25, the "Georgia Utility Facility Protection Act"; (2) A description of the applicant's service area, which description shall be sufficiently detailed so as to allow a local government to respond to subscriber inquiries, including the name of each municipal or county governing authority within the service area. For the purposes of this paragraph, an applicant may, in lieu of or as supplement to a written description, provide a map on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper that is clear and legible and that fairly depicts the service area by making reference to the municipal or county governing authority to be served. If the geographical area is less than an entire municipality or county, the map shall describe the boundaries of the geographic area to be served in clear and concise terms; (3) The location of the applicant's principal place of business, the name or names of the principal executive officer or officers of the applicant, information concerning payment locations or addresses, and general information concerning equipment returns; (4) Certification that the applicant is authorized to conduct business in the State of Georgia and that the applicant possesses satisfactory financial and technical capability to provide cable service or video service and a description of such capabilities. Such certification shall not be required from an incumbent service provider or any cable service provider or video service provider that has wireline facilities located in the public right of way as of January 1, 2008; and (5) Notice to the affected local governing authority of its right to designate a franchise fee pursuant to Code Section 36-76-6 . (d) If an application is incomplete, the Secretary of State shall notify the applicant within ten days of the receipt of such application and shall provide the applicant with a reasonable period of time in which to provide a complete application. If no such notification is made within ten days of the receipt of the application, the application shall be deemed complete. Within 45 days of the receipt of a completed application, the Secretary of State shall, except as set forth in subsection (f) of this Code section, issue a state franchise that contains the following: (1) A nonexclusive grant of authority to provide cable service or video service as requested in the application; (2) A nonexclusive grant of authority to construct, maintain, and operate facilities along, across, or on the public right of way in the delivery of cable service or video service, subject to applicable federal and state laws and regulations, including municipal and county ordinances and regulations, regarding the placement and maintenance of facilities in the public right of way that are generally applicable to all users of the public right of way and specifically including Chapter 9 of Title 25, the "Georgia Utility Facility Protection Act"; and (3) The expiration date of the state franchise, which shall be ten years from the date of issuance, subject to renewal. (e) The failure of the Secretary of State to issue a state franchise within 45 days of the receipt of a completed application from an incumbent service provider or a cable service provider or video service provider that has wireline facilities located in any public right of way as of January 1, 2008, shall constitute issuance of the requested state franchise to the applicant without further action required by the applicant. The failure of the Secretary of State to issue a state franchise within 45 days of the receipt of a completed application from a cable service provider or video service provider that does not have an existing franchise with a municipal or county governing authority or that does not have wireline facilities located in any public right of way as of January 1, 2008, shall constitute temporary issuance of the requested state franchise to the applicant subject to the provisions of subsection (f) of this Code section. (f) A municipal or county governing authority that reasonably believes an applicant that has not yet accessed rights of way in that municipality or unincorporated area of a county and does not possess satisfactory financial and technical capability to provide cable service or video service or is not duly authorized to conduct business in Georgia shall object to the issuance of a state franchise before it is officially issued by the Secretary of State. If a municipal or county governing authority objects to the issuance of a state franchise on these grounds, the Secretary of State shall consider whether the objection is well founded and shall make a determination as to whether to grant the state franchise notwithstanding the objection or to deny or suspend the application pending the receipt of information sufficient to demonstrate the applicant has satisfactory financial and technical capability. If the Secretary of State has not acted on the objection of a municipal or county governing authority's objection and a state franchise is issued as set forth in subsection (e) of this Code section, then such temporary issuance of the state franchise shall be subject to the Secretary of State's determination on the objection. (g) (1) At any time after January 1, 2008, an incumbent service provider may file an application for a state franchise pursuant to this Code section with the Secretary of State with a copy provided to each affected municipal or county governing authority except as set forth in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (a) of Code Section 36-76-3 . Upon the Secretary of State issuing such state franchise, any existing franchise for the service area covered by the state franchise shall, subject to the continuation of PEG support obligations in paragraph (4) of this subsection, terminate and be of no further force or effect. (2) An incumbent service provider that elects to terminate an existing franchise for the service area covered by the state franchise under this subsection shall remain subject to the contractual rights, duties, and obligations incurred by the incumbent service provider under the terms and conditions of the terminated local franchise that are owed to any private person, including a subscriber. (3) As used in this subsection, the term "private person" shall not include: (A) The municipal or county governing authority that issued the terminated local franchise; (B) A political subdivision, government agency, or authority of the state not described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph; or (C) Any official, agent, or employee acting in an official capacity of the municipal or county governing authority that issued the terminated local franchise. (4) An incumbent service provider that elects to terminate a franchise under this subsection shall continue to provide PEG access support, as such existed on January 1, 2007, under the same terms as the terminated local franchise had it not been terminated until the local franchise would have expired under its own terms. (5) Notwithstanding a termination of a local franchise pursuant to this subsection, a municipality or county shall be entitled to operate its existing PEG channel or channels, as such existed on January 1, 2007, relating to the number of channels and the usage criteria for such channels under the same terms as the terminated local franchise had it not been terminated, pursuant to this subsection, until July 1, 2012. The 12 month development period for PEG channels set forth in subsection (a) of Code Section 36-76-8 shall not apply to existing PEG channels operating under the entitlement provisions of this subsection. (6) The 12 month development period for PEG channels set forth in subsection (a) of Code Section 36-76-8 shall not apply to channels being operated at the time that any holder of a state franchise adopts or renews a state franchise after July 1, 2012. (7) An incumbent service provider that elects to terminate a franchise under this subsection, shall, until July 1, 2012, continue to provide access on the nonbasic or digital tier to any municipality or county that has an activated public safety training channel as of January 1, 2007. This channel shall be used exclusively for the purpose of training public safety personnel. After July 1, 2012, the state franchise holder shall be entitled to use other reasonable, readily accessible means to accomplish the purpose of the channel. (8) Each holder of a state franchise shall have the obligation to provide access to the same number of PEG channels pursuant to Code Section 36-76-8 and the additional PEG support cash payments specified in this paragraph for PEG access facilities in a service area as the incumbent service provider with the most subscribers in such service area as of January 1, 2007, which obligation shall continue until the local franchise would have expired under its own terms as specified in paragraph (4) of this subsection; provided, however, that if a local franchise would have expired before July 1, 2012, the holder of a state franchise shall continue to provide access to the same number of PEG channels until July 1, 2012, as provided in paragraph (5) of this subsection. To the extent such incumbent service provider provides PEG access support during said period in the form of periodic payments to the municipal or county governing authority equal to a percentage of gross revenue or a prescribed per subscriber amount, the state franchise holder shall be obligated to make the same periodic payments to the governing authority at the same time and equal to the same percentage of gross revenue or prescribed per subscriber amount. To the extent such incumbent service provider provides PEG access support to the applicable governing authority during said period in the form of a lump sum payment that remains unsatisfied as of January 1, 2008, the holder of a state franchise shall be obligated to provide a lump sum payment to said authority based on its proportion of the total number of cable service and video service subscribers of all service providers in such service area. No payments shall be due under this paragraph until the municipality or county notifies the respective providers, in writing, of the percentage of gross revenues, the per subscriber amount, or the lump sum payment amount and the expiration date of the local franchise obtaining such obligations. The holder of a state franchise may designate that portion of the subscriber's bill attributable to any fee imposed pursuant to this paragraph as a separate item on the bill and recover such amount from the subscriber.

Legislative History

Amended by 2012 Ga. Laws 684,§ 36, eff. 5/1/2012. Added by 2007 Ga. Laws 368,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2007.