§ 8A-2. Intent and purposes.  


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  • It is the intent of the County to promote the public health, safety and general welfare by providing for the grant of one or more franchises for the construction and operation of a cable system; to provide for the regulation of each cable system by the County in accordance with federal and state law; to provide for the payment of fees and other valuable consideration by a franchisee to the County for the privilege of using the public rights-of- way for constructing and operating a cable system; to promote the widespread availability of cable and other communications service to County residents and businesses wherever economically feasible, including to those who reside in multifamily buildings and in rural communities; to encourage the development of cable as a means of communication between and among the members of the public and public institutions; and to encourage the provision of diverse information to the community over cable. (FY 1991 L.M.C., ch. 3, § 1; , § 1; , § 2; , § 1.)
    Editor’s note—2006 L.M.C., ch. 34, § 3, repeals 2002 L.M.C., ch. 31, § 4, as amended by 2005 L.M.C., ch. 14, § 2.
    , § 2, amends 2002 L.M.C., ch. 31, § 4, as follows: Expiration date. This act expires on December 31, 2008.
    2002 L.M.C., ch. 31, §§ 2, 3 and 4, state:
    Sec. 2. Service-level requirements for cable modem service. The County Executive must issue regulations under method (2) establishing minimum cable modem service levels that a franchisee must provide. The regulations supersede any less-stringent requirements in a franchise or subscriber agreement.
    Sec. 3. Transition.
    (a) This Act applies to each current or future franchise, franchisee, subscriber, or other person subject to the requirements of the County Cable Communications Act, as amended by this and any future Act, and supersedes any contrary regulation, franchise, franchise agreement, subscriber agreement, or other agreement. The complaint adjudication provisions in Chapter 8A of the Code, as amended by this Act, apply to any complaint pending on, or filed on or after, the date this Act takes effect [March 6, 2003]. Section 8A-31A(i) applies to any subscriber agreement modified or entered into after this Act becomes law [December 5, 2002].
    (b) The County Executive must designate the initial term of 2 members of the Cable Compliance Commission as 2 years. Any later term of these 2 members, and the terms of all other members, mut be 3 years.
    Sec. 4. Expiration date. This Act expires on December 31, 2005.