Florida Senate - 2007                        SENATOR AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2)
                        Barcode 171772
                            CHAMBER ACTION
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       04/27/2007 04:40 PM         .                    
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11  Senator Constantine moved the following amendment:
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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 
14         On lines 381 - 685, delete those lines
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16  and insert:  the selection or use of such video programming or
17  other programming service.
18         (2)  "Cable service provider" means a person that
19  provides cable service over a cable system.
20         (3)  "Cable system" means a facility consisting of a
21  set of closed transmission paths and associated signal
22  generation, reception, and control equipment that is designed
23  to provide cable service that includes video programming and
24  that is provided to multiple subscribers within a community,
25  but such term does not include:
26         (a)  A facility that serves only to retransmit the
27  television signals of one or more television broadcast
28  stations;
29         (b)  A facility that serves only subscribers in one or
30  more multiple-unit dwellings under common ownership, control,
31  or management, unless such facility or facilities use any
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Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 public right-of-way; 2 (c) A facility that serves subscribers without using 3 any public right-of-way; 4 (d) A facility of a common carrier that is subject, in 5 whole or in part, to the provisions of Title II of the federal 6 Communications Act of 1934 except that such facility shall be 7 considered a cable system other than for purposes of 47 U.S.C. 8 Section 541(c) to the extent such facility is used in the 9 transmission of video programming directly to subscribers, 10 unless the extent of such use is solely to provide interactive 11 on-demand services; 12 (e) Any facilities of any electric utility used solely 13 for operating its electric utility systems; or 14 (f) An open video system that complies with 47 U.S.C. 15 Section 573. 16 (4) "Certificateholder" means a cable or video service 17 provider that has been issued and holds a certificate of 18 franchise authority from the department. 19 (5) "Department" means the Department of State. 20 (6) "Franchise" means an initial authorization or 21 renewal of an authorization, regardless of whether the 22 authorization is designated as a franchise, permit, license, 23 resolution, contract, certificate, agreement, or otherwise, to 24 construct and operate a cable system or video service provider 25 network facilities in the public right-of-way. 26 (7) "Franchise authority" means any governmental 27 entity empowered by federal, state, or local law to grant a 28 franchise. 29 (8) "Incumbent cable service provider" means a cable 30 or video service provider providing cable or video service on 31 July 1, 2007. 2 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 (9) "Public right-of-way" means the area on, below, or 2 above a public roadway, highway, street, sidewalk, alley, or 3 waterway, including, without limitation, a municipal, county, 4 state, district, or other public roadway, highway, street, 5 sidewalk, alley, or waterway. 6 (10) "Video programming" means programming provided 7 by, or generally considered comparable to programming provided 8 by, a television broadcast station as set forth in 47 U.S.C. 9 s. 522(20). 10 (11) "Video service" means video programming services, 11 including cable services, provided through wireline facilities 12 located at least in part in the public rights-of-way without 13 regard to delivery technology, including Internet protocol 14 technology. This definition does not include any video 15 programming provided by a commercial mobile service provider 16 as defined in 47 U.S.C. s. 332(d), video programming provided 17 as part of, and via a service that enables end users to access 18 content, information, electronic mail, or other services 19 offered over the public Internet. 20 (12) "Video service provider" means an entity 21 providing video service. 22 610.104 State authorization to provide cable or video 23 service.-- 24 (1) An entity or person seeking to provide cable or 25 video service in this state after July 1, 2007, shall file an 26 application for a state-issued certificate of franchise 27 authority with the department as required by this section. 28 (2) An applicant for a state-issued certificate of 29 franchise authority to provide cable or video service shall 30 submit to the Department of State an application that 31 contains: 3 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 (a) The official name of the cable or video service 2 provider. 3 (b) The street address of the principal place of 4 business of the cable or video service provider. 5 (c) The federal employer identification number or the 6 Department of State's document number. 7 (d) The name, address, and telephone number of an 8 officer, partner, owner, member, or manager as a contact 9 person for the cable or video service provider to whom 10 questions or concerns may be addressed. 11 (e) A duly executed affidavit signed by an officer, 12 partner, owner, or managing member affirming and containing: 13 1. That the applicant is fully qualified under the 14 provisions of this chapter to file an application and 15 affidavit for a certificate of franchise authority. 16 2. That the applicant has filed or will timely file 17 with the Federal Communications Commission all forms required 18 by that agency in advance of offering cable or video service 19 in this state. 20 3. That the applicant agrees to comply with all 21 applicable federal and state laws and regulations, to the 22 extent such state laws and rules are not in conflict with or 23 superseded by the provisions of this chapter or other 24 applicable state law. 25 4. That the applicant agrees to comply with all state 26 laws and rules and municipal and county ordinances and 27 regulations regarding the placement and maintenance of 28 communications facilities in the public rights-of-way that are 29 generally applicable to providers of communications services 30 in accordance with s. 337.401. 31 5. A description of the service area for which the 4 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 applicant seeks a certificate of franchise authority provided 2 on a municipal or countywide basis. The description may be 3 provided in a manner that does not disclose competitively 4 sensitive information. Notwithstanding the foregoing: 5 a. For incumbent cable or video service providers that 6 have existing local franchise agreements, the service area 7 shall be coextensive with the provider's service area 8 description in the existing local franchise. 9 b. For applicants using telecommunications facilities 10 to provide video services, the service area shall be described 11 in terms of entire wire centers that may or may not be 12 consistent with municipal or county boundaries except any 13 portion of a specific wire center which will remain subject to 14 an existing cable or video franchise agreement until the 15 earlier of the agreement's expiration or termination. 16 6. The location of the applicant's principal place of 17 business, the names of the applicant's principal executive 18 officers, and a physical address sufficient for the purposes 19 of chapter 48. 20 7. That the applicant will file with the department a 21 notice of commencement of service within 5 business days after 22 first providing service in each area described in subparagraph 23 5. 24 8. A statement affirming that the applicant will 25 notify the department of any change of address or contact 26 person. 27 9. The applicant's system shall comply with the 28 Federal Communications Commission's rules and regulations of 29 the Emergency Alert System. 30 (3) Before the 10th business day after the department 31 receives the application, the department shall notify the 5 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 applicant whether the application and affidavit described in 2 subsection (3) are complete. If the department rejects the 3 application and affidavit, the department shall specify with 4 particularity the reasons for the rejection and permit the 5 applicant to amend the application or affidavit to cure any 6 deficiency. The department shall act upon the amended 7 application or affidavit within 10 business days after the 8 department's receipt of the amended application or affidavit. 9 (4) The department shall issue a certificate of 10 franchise authority to the applicant before the 15th business 11 day after receipt of an accepted application. The certificate 12 of franchise authority issued by the department shall contain: 13 (a) The name of the certificateholder and its 14 identification number. 15 (b) A grant of authority to provide cable or video 16 service as requested in the application. 17 (c) A grant of authority to construct, maintain, and 18 operate facilities through, upon, over, and under any public 19 right-of-way or waters, subject to the applicable governmental 20 permitting or authorization from the Board of Trustees of the 21 Internal Improvement Trust Fund. 22 (d) A statement that the grant of authority is subject 23 to lawful operation of the cable or video service by the 24 applicant or its successor in interest. 25 (e) A statement that describes the service area for 26 which this certificate of authority applies. 27 (f) A statement that includes the issuance date that 28 shall be the effective date of the commencement of this 29 authority. 30 (5) If the department fails to act on the accepted 31 application within 30 business days after receiving the 6 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 accepted application, the application shall be deemed approved 2 by the department without further action. 3 (6) A certificateholder that seeks to include 4 additional service areas in its current certificate shall file 5 an amendment to the certificate with the department. Such 6 amendment shall specify the name and address of the 7 certificateholder, the new service area or areas to be served, 8 consistent with subparagraph (2)(e)5., but need not be 9 coextensive with municipal or county boundaries, and the 10 effective date of commencement of operations in the new 11 service area or areas. Such amendment shall be filed with the 12 department within 5 business days after first providing 13 service in each such additional area. 14 (7) The certificate of franchise authority issued by 15 the department is fully transferable to any successor in 16 interest to the applicant to which the certificate is 17 initially granted. A notice of transfer shall be filed with 18 the department and the relevant municipality or county within 19 14 business days following the completion of such transfer. 20 (8) The certificate of franchise authority issued by 21 the department may be terminated by the cable or video service 22 provider by submitting notice to the department. 23 (9) An applicant may challenge a rejection of an 24 application by the department in a court of competent 25 jurisdiction through a petition for mandamus. 26 (10) In executing the provisions of this section, the 27 department shall function in a ministerial capacity accepting 28 information contained in the application and affidavit at face 29 value. The applicant shall ensure continued compliance with 30 all applicable business formation, registration, and taxation 31 provisions of law. 7 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 (11) The application shall be accompanied by a 2 one-time fee of $10,000. A parent company may file a single 3 application covering itself and all of its subsidiaries and 4 affiliates intending to provide cable or video service in the 5 service areas throughout the state as described in paragraph 6 (3)(d), but the entity actually providing such service in a 7 given area shall otherwise be considered the certificateholder 8 under this act. 9 (12) Beginning 5 years after approval of the 10 certificateholder's initial certificate of franchise issued by 11 the department, and every 5 years thereafter, the 12 certificateholder shall update the information contained in 13 the original application for a certificate of franchise. At 14 the time of filing the information update, the 15 certificateholder shall pay a processing fee of $1,000. Any 16 certificateholder that fails to file the updated information 17 and pay the processing fee on the 5-year anniversary dates 18 shall be subject to cancellation of its state-issued 19 certificate of franchise authority if, upon notice given to 20 the certificateholder at its last address on file with the 21 department, the certificateholder fails to file the updated 22 information and pay the processing fee within 30 days after 23 the date notice was mailed. The application and processing 24 fees imposed in this section shall be paid to the Department 25 of State for deposit into the Operating Trust Fund for 26 immediate transfer by the Chief Financial Officer to the 27 General Inspection Trust Fund of the Department of Agriculture 28 and Consumer Services. The Department of Agriculture and 29 Consumer Services shall maintain a separate account within the 30 General Inspection Trust Fund to distinguish cable franchise 31 revenues from all other funds. The application, any amendments 8 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 to the certificate, or information updates must be accompanied 2 by a fee to the Department of State equal to that for filing 3 articles of incorporation pursuant to s. 607.0122(1). 4 610.105 Eligibility for state-issued franchise.-- 5 (1) After July 1, 2007, an incumbent cable or video 6 service provider is immediately eligible at its option to 7 apply for a state-issued certificate of franchise authority 8 under this chapter and shall file a written notice with the 9 applicable municipality or county in which the provider 10 provides cable or video service simultaneously with any filing 11 with the department under this chapter. The applicable 12 municipal or county franchise is terminated under this section 13 on the date the department issues the state-issued certificate 14 of franchise authority. 15 (2) If an incumbent cable or video service provider 16 has been granted a state-issued certificate of franchise 17 authority that covers all or a portion of a municipality or 18 county, any obligation under any existing municipal or county 19 franchise that exceeds the obligations imposed on the 20 certificateholder in the area covered by the certificate shall 21 be against public policy and void. 22 610.106 Franchise fees prohibited.--Except as 23 otherwise provided in this chapter, the department may not 24 impose any taxes, fees, charges, or other impositions on a 25 cable or video service provider as a condition for the 26 issuance of a state-issued certificate of franchise authority. 27 No municipality or county may impose any taxes, fees, charges, 28 or other exactions on certificateholders in connection with 29 use of public right-of-way as a condition of a 30 certificateholder doing business in the municipality or 31 county, or otherwise, except such taxes, fees, charges, or 9 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 other exactions permitted by chapter 202, s. 337.401(6), or s. 2 610.117. 3 610.107 Buildout.--No franchising authority, state 4 agency, or political subdivision may impose any buildout, 5 system construction, or service deployment requirements on a 6 certificateholder. However, notwithstanding any other 7 provision of this act, in any jurisdiction in which there 8 exist two or more franchises which contain buildout 9 requirements and construction of facilities pursuant to those 10 franchises has begun before July 1, 2007, such buildout 11 requirements remain effective through the term of the 12 franchises. 13 610.108 Customer service standards.-- 14 (1) All cable or video service providers shall comply 15 with customer service requirements in 47 C.F.R. s. 76.309(c). 16 (2) Any municipality or county that, as of January 1, 17 2007, has an office or department dedicated to responding to 18 cable or video service customer complaints may continue to 19 respond to such complaints until July 1, 2009. Beginning July 20 1, 2009, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 21 shall have the sole authority to respond to all cable or video 22 service customer complaints. This provision does not permit 23 the municipality, county, or department to impose customer 24 service standards inconsistent with the requirements in 47 25 C.F.R. s. 76.309(c). 26 (3) The Department of Agriculture and Consumer 27 Services shall receive service quality complaints from 28 customers of a cable or video service provider and shall 29 address such complaints in an expeditious manner by assisting 30 in the resolution of such complaint between the complainant 31 and the cable or video service provider. The Department of 10 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS/CS/HB 529 (c2) Barcode 171772 1 Agriculture and Consumer Services may adopt any procedural 2 rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 necessary to 3 administer this section, but shall not have any authority to 4 impose any customer service requirements inconsistent with 5 those contained in 47 C.F.R. s. 76.309(c). 6 7 8 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =============== 9 And the title is amended as follows: 10 On lines 40 - 48, delete those lines 11 12 and insert: 13 activities; providing for incumbent cable 14 service provider eligibility for state-issued 15 franchises; providing for certain notice to 16 municipal or county franchise authority; 17 providing for termination of a municipal or 18 county franchise; declaring certain additional 19 obligations on a franchisee against public 20 policy and void; prohibiting the department 21 from imposing additional taxes, fees, or 22 charges on a cable or video service provider to 23 issue a certificate; prohibiting imposing 24 buildout, construction, and deployment 25 requirements on a certificateholder; imposing 26 certain customer service requirements on cable 27 service providers; allowing a municipality or 28 county to respond to complaints for a time 29 certain; requiring the 30 31 11 9:07 PM 04/26/07 h0529c3c-22-e7r