Chapter 5.18 CABLE SYSTEMS AND OPEN VIDEO SYSTEMS
Section 5.18.260 Legal qualifications.
A. Standards.
1. The applicant must be willing to
comply with the provisions of this article and applicable
laws; and to comply with such requirements of a franchise as the city may lawfully require.
2. The applicant must not have had
any cable system or OVS franchise validly revoked,
(including any appeals) by the city within three years preceding the submission of the
application.
3. The applicant may not have had
an application to the city for an initial or renewal cable
system franchise denied on the ground that the applicant failed to propose a cable system meeting
the cable-related needs and interests of the community, or as to which any challenges to such
franchising decision were finally resolved (including any appeals) adversely to the applicant,
within three years preceding the submission of the application; and may not have had an
application for an initial or renewal OVS franchise denied on any ground within three years of
the application.
4. The applicant shall not be issued
a franchise if, at any time during the ten years preceding
the submission of the application, applicant was convicted of fraud, racketeering, anticompetitive
actions, unfair trade practices or other conduct of such character that the applicant cannot be
relied upon to deal truthfully with the city and the subscribers, or to substantially comply with its
obligations.
5. Applicant must have the necessary
authority under California and federal law to operate a
cable system, or show that it is in a position to obtain that authority.
6. The applicant shall not be issued
a franchise if it files materially misleading information
in its application or intentionally withholds information that the applicant lawfully is required to
provide.
7. For purposes of subsection (A)(2)--(4)
of this section, the term applicant includes any
affiliate of applicant.
B. Exception. Notwithstanding subsection
A of this section, an applicant shall be provided a
reasonable opportunity to show that a franchise should issue even if the requirements of
subsection (A)(3)--(4) are not satisfied, by virtue of the circumstances surrounding the matter and
the steps taken by the applicant to cure all harms flowing therefrom and prevent their recurrence,
the lack of involvement of the applicant s principals, or the remoteness of the matter from the
operation of a cable system. (Ord. 645 § 1 (part), 2004)