Ordinance 2009-06
ORDINANCE NO. 2009-06
AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF GILROY ADDING A NEW ARTICLE III,
SECTIONS 24.38 THROUGH 24.45 TO CHAPTER 24 OF
THE GILROY CITY CODE, WHICH IMPLEMENTS THE
PROVISIONS OF THE DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND
VIDEO COMPETITION ACT OF 2006, CODIFIED IN
CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES CODE SECTION 5800
ET SEQ., WHICH THE CITY IS REQmRED TO
ADMINISTER AND ENFORCE THROUGHOUT THE
CITY.
WHEREAS, this Ordinance is exempt from environmental review pursuant to Section
15061(b)(3) of the State Guidelines implementing the California Environmental Quality Act of
1970, as amended.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GILROY DOES
HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I
Chapter 24, of the Gilroy City Code entitled "Television Antennas" is hereby amended
by adding new Article III, Sections 24.38 through 24.45 entitled "State Video Service
Franchises" which shall read as follows:
"Sec. 24.38 General Provisions.
(a) Purpose. This Article is applicable to video service providers who have been
awarded a state video franchise under the California Public Utilities Code section 5800 et seq.
(the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of 2006 ["DNCA"]), to provide cable or
video services in any location(s) within the incorporated boundaries of the City. It is the purpose
of this Article to implement within the incorporated boundaries of the City the provisions of
DIVCA and the rules of the California Public Utilities Commission promulgated there under that
are applicable to a "local franchising entity" or a "local entity" as defined in DIVCA.
(b) Rights Reserved.
(1) The rights reserved to the City under this Article are in addition to all
other rights of the City, whether reserved by this Article or authorized by law, and no action,
proceeding or exercise of a right shall affect any other rights which may be held by the City.
(2) Except as otherwise provided by DIVCA, a state franchise shall not
include, or be a substitute for:
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i. compliance with applicable requirements for the privilege of
transacting and carrying on a business within the City, including, but not limited to, compliance
with the conditions that the City may establish before facilities may be constructed for, or
providing, non-video services;
ii. any permit or authorization required in connection with operations
on or in public rights-of-way or public property, including, but not limited to, encroachment
permits, street work permits, pole attachment permits and street cut permits; and
111. any permit, agreement or authorization for occupying any other
property of the City or any private person to which access is not specifically granted by the state
franchise.
(3) No permit issued by the City to a state franchise holder is itself a
franchise, nor shall any permit create a vested right that would prohibit the City from revoking or
amending the permit.
(c) Comoliance with City Ordinances. Nothing contained in this Article shall be
construed so as to exempt a state franchise holder from compliance with all ordinances, rules or
regulations of the City now in effect or which may be hereafter adopted which are consistent
with this Article or California Public Utilities Code section 5800 et seq., or any obligations under
any franchise issued by the City insofar as those obligations may be enforced under California
Public Utilities Code section 5800 et seq.
(d) Compliance with DIVCA. When a video service provider holding a state
franchise provides notice to the City pursuant to California Public Utilities Code section 5840(m)
that it is commencing to provide video service to the City, a holder of a local franchise is entitled
to seek a state franchise pursuant to California Public Utilities Code section 5930 (c) and the
upon issuance of a state franchise by the California Public Utilities Commission for the franchise
area the local franchise shall terminate.
Sec. 24. 39 Definitions.
(a) Definitions Generallv -- Interpretation of Language. For purposes of this Article
the following terms, phrases, words, and their derivations shall have the meaning given in this
Article. Words not defined in this Article. shall have the same meaning as established in: (1)
DIVCA, and if not defined therein, (2) California Public Utilities Commission rules
implementing DNCA, and if not defined therein, (3) Title VI of Title 47 of the Communications
Act of 1934, as amended, 47USC ~ 521 et seq., and if not defmed therein (4) their common and
ordinary meaning. 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 "including" and "include" are not limiting. The words
"shall" and ''will'' are always mandatory, but the use of those terms grants no private rights to
any person with respect to the City. References to governmental entities (whether persons or
entities) refer to those entities or their successors in authority. If specific provisions of law
referred to herein are renumbered, then the reference shall be read to refer to the renumbered
provision. References to laws, ordinances or regulations shall be interpreted broadly to cover
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government actions, however nominated, and include laws, ordinances and regulations now in
force or hereinafter enacted or amended.
(1) "Gross revenues" means all revenues actually received by the holder of a
state franchise or its affiliates that are derived from the operation of the holder's network to
provide cable service or video service within the incorporated areas ofthe City.
(2) "PEG access," or "PEG" means the availability of a cable or state
franchise holder's system for public, educational, or governmental use by various agencies,
institutions, organizations, groups, and individuals, including organizations, groups, or individual
members of the general public, educational institutions, and the City and its designated access
providers, to acquire, create, and distribute programming not under a state franchise holder's
editorial control.
(3) "State franchise holder" means a cable operator or video service provider
that has been issued a franchise by the California Public Utilities Commission to provide cable
service or video service, as those terms are defined in California Public Utilities Code section
5830, within any portion ofthe incorporated limits of the City.
Sec. 24.40
Franchise Fees.
(a) State Franchise Fees. Any state franchise holder operating within the
incorporated areas of the City shall pay to the City a state franchise fee equal to five percent
(5%) of gross revenues that may be subject to a franchise fee under California Public Utilities
Code section 5860.
(b) Payment of Franchise Fees. The state franchise fee required pursuant to this
Article shall be paid quarterly, in a manner consistent with California Public Utilities Code
section 5860. The state franchise holder shall deliver to the City, by check or other means,
which shall be agreed to by the City, a separate payment for the state franchise fee not later than
forty-five (45) days after the end of each calendar quarter. Each payment made shall be
accompanied by a report, detailing how the payment was calculated, and shall include such
additional information on the appropriate form as designated by the City.
(c) Examination of Business Records. The City may examine the business records of
the holder of a state franchise in a manner consistent with California Public Utilities Code
section 5860(i).
(d) Late Payments. In the event a state franchise holder fails to make payments
required by this Article on or before the due dates specified herein, the City shall impose a late
charge at the rate per year equal to the highest prime lending rate during the period of
delinquency, plus one percent (1 %).
Sec. 24.41
Customer Service.
(a) Customer Service Standards. A state franchise holder shall comply with sections
53055, 53055.1, 53055.2 and 53088.2 of the California Government Code; the FCC customer
service and notice standards set forth in sections 76.309, 76.1602, 76.1603, and 76.1619 of Title
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47 of the Code of Federal Regulations; section 637.5 of the California Penal Code; the privacy
standards of Section 551 of Title 47 of the United States Code; and, to the extent consistent with
DNCA, all other applicable state and federal customer service and consumer protection
standards pertaining to the provision of video service, include any such standards hereafter
adopted. In case of a conflict, the stricter standard shall apply. All customer service and
consumer protection standards under this paragraph shall be interpreted and applied to
accommodate newer or different technologies while meeting or exceeding the goals of the
standards.
(b) Penalties for Violations of Standards. The City shall enforce the compliance of
state franchise holders with respect to the state and federal customer service and consumer
protection standards set forth in this Article. The City will provide a state franchise holder with a
written notice of any alleged material breaches, as defined in California Public Utilities Code
section 5900, of applicable customer service or consumer protection standards, and will allow
the state franchise holder thirty (30) days from the receipt of the notice to remedy the specified
material breach. Material breaches not remedied by a state franchise holder within the thirty day
(30) time period, irrespective of the number of customers affected, will be subject to the
following penalties to be imposed by the City:
(1) For the first occurrence of a material breach, a fme of $500 may be
imposed for each day the violation remains in effect, not to exceed $1,500 for each violation.
(2) For a second material breach of the same nature within 12 months, a fine
of $1,000 may be imposed for each day the violation remains in effect, not to exceed $3,000 for
each violation.
(3) For a third material breach of the same nature within 12 months, a fme of
$2,500 may be imposed for each day the violation remains in effect, not to exceed $7,500 for
each violation.
(c) Any penalties imposed by the City shall be imposed in a manner consistent with
California Public Utilities Code section 5900.
Sec. 24.42
Permits and Construction.
(a) Except as expressly provided in this Article, all provisions of Gilroy City Code,
Chapter 20, of the Gilroy City Code, and all City administrative rules and regulations developed
to any of these provisions, as now existing or as hereafter amended, shall apply to all work
performed by or on behalf of a state franchise holder on any City public rights-of-way, public
property, or City easement.
(b) Permits. Prior to commencing any work for which a permit is required by Gilroy
City Code, Chapter 20, a state franchise holder shall apply for and obtain a permit in accordance
with the provisions of Chapter 20 and shall comply with all other applicable laws and
regulations, including but not limited to all applicable requirements of Division 13 of the
California Public Resources Code, section 21000, et seq. (the California Environmental Quality
Act).
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(c) The City Administrator or his or her designee shall either approve or deny state
franchise holder's application for any permit required under Gilroy City Code, Chapter 20,
within sixty (60) days of receiving a completed permit application from the state franchise
holder.
(d) If the City Administrator or his or her designee denies a state franchise holder's
application for a permit, the City Administrator or his or her designee shall, at the time of
notifying the applicant of denial, furnish to the applicant a detailed explanation of the reason or
reasons for the denial.
( e) A state franchise holder that has been denied a permit by final decision of the City
Administrator or his or her designee may appeal the denial to the City Council. Upon receiving a
notice of appeal, the City Council shall take one of the following actions:
(1) Affirm the action of the City Administrator or his or her designee without
any further hearing; or
(2) Refer the matter back to the City Administrator or his or her designee for
further review with or without instructions; or
(3) Set the matter for a de novo hearing before the City Council.
(f) In rendering its decision on the appeal, the City Council shall not hear or consider
any argument or evidence of any kind other than the record of the matter received from the City
Administrator or his or her designee unless the City Council is itself conducting a public hearing
on the matter.
(g) The issuance of a permit is not a franchise, and does not grant any vested rights in
any location in the public rights-of-way, or in any particular manner of placement within the
rights-of-way. Without limitation, a permit to place cabinets and similar appurtenances
aboveground may be revoked and the permittee required to place facilities underground, in
accordance with applicable law.
Sec. 24.43
Emergency Alert System.
Each state franchise holder shall comply with the emergency alert system requirements of
the Federal Communications Commission in order that emergency messages may be distributed
over the state franchise holder's network. To the extent consistent with California Public
Utilities Code section 5880, each state franchise holder shall install and maintain an audio
override on all channels for transmission of emergency messages and alerts, and shall provide for
character generated "crawl" information to be superimposed on all channels for the hearing
impaired, as such capability was required under local franchises in effect in the City on January 1
to December 30,2006.
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Sec. 24.44
Public, Educational, and Government Access Channel
Capacity, Support, Interconnection, and Signal Carriage
(a)
PEG Channel Capacity.
(1) A state franchise holder shall designate a sufficient amount of capacity on
its network to allow the provision of four (4) PEG channels to satisfy the requirement of section
5870 of the California Public Utilities Code, within the time limits specified therein.
(2) A state franchise holder shall provide an additional PEG channel when the
City satisfies the standards set forth in section 5870( d) of the California Public Utilities Code or
any entity designated by the City to manage one or more of the PEG channels.
(b) PEG Support.
(1) Amount of PEG Support Fee. Any state franchise holder shall pay to the
City -- or if directed by the City, to the City's designated PEG provider -- a PEG fee equal to
three (3%) percent of gross revenues, an amount equivalent to the level of PEG funding remitted
by the incumbent cable operator to the City's designated PEG provider during the period of
January 1,2006 to December 30,2006.
(2) The PEG support fee shall be used for PEG activities, in a manner that is
consistent with the terms of the incumbent cable operator's franchise during the period of
January 1,2006 to December 30, 2006 and settlements.
(3) A state franchise holder shall remit the PEG support fee quarterly, within
forty-five (45) days after the end of each calendar quarter. Each payment made shall be
accompanied by a summary, detailing how the PEG support fee was calculated.
(4) In the event that a state franchise holder fails to pay the PEG support fee
when due, or underpays the proper amount due, the state franchise holder shall pay interest at the
rate per year equal to the highest prime lending rate during the period of delinquency, plus one
percent (1 %), or the maximum rate specified by state law.
(c) PEG Carriage and Interconnection.
(1) As set forth in sections 5870(b) and 5870(g)(3) of the California Public
Utilities Code, state franchise holders shall ensure that all PEG channels are receivable by all
subscribers, whether they receive digital or analog service, or a combination thereof, without the
need for any equipment other than that needed to receive the lowest cost tier of service. PEG
access capacity provided by a state franchise holder shall be of similar quality and functionality
to that offered by commercial channels (unless the PEG signal is provided to the state franchise
holder at a lower quality or with less functionality), shall be capable of carrying a National
Television System Committee (NTSC) television signal, and shall be carried on the state
franchise holder's lowest cost tier of service. To the extent feasible, the PEG channels shall not
be separated numerically from other channels carried on the lowest cost tier of service and the
channel numbers for the PEG channels shall be the same channel numbers used by any
incumbent cable operator, unless prohibited by federal law. After the initial designation of the
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PEG channel numbers, the channel numbers shall not be changed without the agreement of the
City unless federal law requires the change.
(2) Where technically feasible, each state franchise holder and each
incumbent cable operator shall negotiate in good faith to interconnect their networks for the
purpose of providing PEG programming. Interconnection may be accomplished by any means
authorized under California Public Utilities Code section 5870(h). Each state franchise holder
and incumbent cable operator shall provide interconnection of PEG channels on reasonable terms
and conditions and may not withhold the interconnection. If a state franchise holder and an
incumbent cable operator cannot reach a mutually acceptable interconnection agreement for PEG
carriage, the City may require the incumbent cable operator to allow each state franchise holder
to interconnect its network with the incumbent cable operator's network at a technically feasible
point on the state franchise holder's network as identified by the state franchise holder. If no
technically feasible point of interconnection is available, each state franchise holder shall make
interconnection available to each PEG channel originator programming a channel in the City and
shall provide the facilities necessary for the interconnection. The cost of any interconnection
shall be borne by each state franchise holder requesting the interconnection unless otherwise
agreed to by the parties.
Sec. 24.45
Notices.
(a) Each state franchise holder or applicant for a state franchise shall file with the
City a copy of all applications or notices that the state franchise holder or applicant are required
to file with the California Public Utilities Commission.
(b) Unless otherwise specified in this Article, all notices or other documentation that
a state franchise holder is required to provide to the City under this Article or the California
Public Utilities Code shall be provided to both the City Administrator and the City staff person in
charge of cable and telecommunications, or their successors or designees."
SECTION II
To the extent that the terms and provisions of this Ordinance may be inconsistent or in
conflict with the terms or conditions of any prior city ordinance, motion, resolution, rule or
regulation governing the same subject, the terms of this Ordinance shall prevail with respect to
the subject matter thereof and such inconsistent or conflicting provisions of prior ordinances,
motions, resolutions, rules or regulations are hereby repealed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if
subsequent to the enactment of this Ordinance, the City enters into a settlement agreement with
the incumbent cable operator, Falcon Cable Systems Company II, L.P.(Charter), to the extent
that the terms and conditions of such settlement agreement are inconsistent or conflict with the
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terms and conditions of this Ordinance, the terms and conditions, of the settlement agreement
shall supersede this Ordinance.
SECTION III
This Ordinance, pursuant to Gilroy City Charter, Article VI, Section 602, is hereby
declared by the City Council to be necessary as an emergency measure and for the preservation
of the public peace, health, safety and welfare of the City, and as such shall take effect
immediately and be in full force and effect after its adoption after publication at least once in an
official newspaper of the City for the following reasons:
The City Council finds that this Ordinance must be adopted as an emergency Ordinance
to avoid a conflict between the City's existing Franchise Agreement with Falcon Cable Systems
Company II, L.P. (Charter) which expires January 6, 2010, and the California Public Utilities
Code section 5800 et seq. (the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of 2006
("DIVCA"), and/or any other video service provider awarded a state video franchise under
DIVCA.
This Ordinance is further necessary as an emergency Ordinance to: (1) avoid confusion
and assure the public what video service franchise fees apply; (2) maintain existing customer
service standards and provide penalties for violations of such standards; (3) maintain existing
administrative rules and regulations regarding permits and construction in the public right-of-
way; and (4) maintain existing Public Education and Government channel and Emergency Alert
System.
In order to accomplish these goals, the Gilroy City Code Article II, Sections 24.38
through 24.45, as amended, must adopted by means of this emergency Ordinance.
SECTION IV
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason
held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining
portions of this ordinance. The City Council of the City of Gilroy hereby declares that it would
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have passed and adopted this ordinance, and each section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase
hereof, irrespective of the fact that anyone or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or
phrases may be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 7th day of December, 2009, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ARELLANO, BRACCO, DILLON, GARTMAN,
TUCKER, WOODWARD and PINHEIRO
NONE
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: NONE
~~
ert Pinheiro, ~ayo:
ATTEST:
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I, SHA WNA FREELS, City Clerk of the City of Gilroy, do hereby certify that the
attached Ordinance No. 2009-06 is an original ordinance, or true and correct copy of a City
ordinance, duly adopted by the Council of the City of Gilroy at a regular meeting of said Council
held on the 7th day of December, 2009, at which meeting a quorum was present.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Official Seal of
the City of Gilroy this 10th day of December, 2009.
(Seal)