Bill Text: CT HB06460 | 2011 | General Assembly | Comm Sub
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Public Access Channels.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-04-07 - File Number 490 [HB06460 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2011-HB06460-Comm_Sub.html
General Assembly |
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January Session, 2011 |
*_____HB06460ET____032311____* |
AN ACT CONCERNING PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNELS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 16-331ff of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2011):
(a) Any third-party nonprofit community access provider serving [six] five or more 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] any company [providing] licensed to provide services in that town to use their headend equipment for dissemination of town-specific community access programming on such channels. [Said] Such third-party nonprofit community access provider [must] shall 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.
(b) If a third-party nonprofit provider fails to provide written consent within three days, pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the Department of Public Utility Control shall, upon a request from a town organization, authority, body or official within the service territory of [that third-party nonprofit community access] such 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] 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.
Sec. 2. Section 16-331gg of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2011, and applicable to calendar years commencing on and after January 1, 2012):
(a) A community antenna television company, a certified competitive video service provider that was providing service as a community antenna television company pursuant to section 16-331 on October 1, 2007, or a holder of a certificate of cable franchise authority that provides services within a service territory of a third-party nonprofit community access provider that serves six municipalities, one of which has a population of more than one hundred thirty thousand, shall direct the sum of [one] two hundred thousand dollars per year from the funds collected from subscribers in [said] such service territory that it provides to [the existing third-party nonprofit community access] such provider [serving six municipalities, one of which has a population of more than one hundred thirty thousand,] directly to the service territory's community antenna television advisory council for developing town-specific education and government community access programming. Such sum shall be directed annually in two equal disbursements, one of which shall be on or before March first and one of which shall be on or before June first.
(b) A community antenna television advisory council that receives funds pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall distribute [said] such funds in their entirety to a town organization, authority, body or official in the service territory of [a third-party nonprofit community access provider serving six municipalities, one of which has a population of more than one hundred thirty thousand] such provider, to support the development of production and programming capabilities for town-specific education and government public access programming, pursuant to grant procedures and processes established by said council.
(c) Any community antenna television advisory council that receives funds pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall report annually to the Department of Public Utility Control all completed or planned disbursements of funds and certify that [said] such funds were spent in their entirety and used for the public good in the creation, production and development of town-specific education and government public access programming for at least one of the towns in its service territory.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Any community antenna television company or nonprofit organization providing community access operations that supplied original programming from locally run operations and provided funding to town-specific programming on January 1, 2008, shall continue to fund town-specific programming in such proportions to funding for original programming from locally run operations as of January 1, 2008.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2011) Any company or nonprofit organization responsible for community access operations that receives funds pursuant to subsection (k) of section 16-331a of the general statutes may use such funds for the creation and development, including, but not limited to, labor and staff expenses, of town-specific community access programming.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
July 1, 2011 |
16-331ff |
Sec. 2 |
July 1, 2011, and applicable to calendar years commencing on and after January 1, 2012 |
16-331gg |
Sec. 3 |
from passage |
New section |
Sec. 4 |
July 1, 2011 |
New section |
ET |
Joint Favorable Subst. |