(a) As used in this section, “multichannel video programming distributor” means a multichannel video programming distributor, as defined in 47 CFR 76.1300, as from time to time amended, and includes an owner of an open video system, as defined in 47 CFR 76.1500, as from time to time amended.

(b) Each company or organization selected pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, in consultation with the franchise's advisory council, shall provide facilities, equipment, and technical and managerial support to enable the production of meaningful community access programming within its franchise area. Each company shall include all its community access channels in its basic service package. Each company or organization shall annually review its rules, regulations, policies and procedures governing the provision of community access programming. Such review shall include a period for public comment, a public meeting and consultation with the franchise's advisory council.

(c) If a community-based nonprofit organization in a franchise area desires to assume responsibility for community access operations, it shall, upon timely petition to the authority, be granted intervenor status in a franchise proceeding held pursuant to this section. The authority shall assign this responsibility to the most qualified community-based nonprofit organization or the company based on the following criteria: (1) The recommendations of the advisory council and of the municipalities in the franchise area; (2) a review of the organization's or the company's performance in providing community access programming; (3) the operating plan submitted by the organization and the company for providing community access programming; (4) the experience in community access programming of the organization; (5) the organization's and the company's proposed budget, including expenses for salaries, consultants, attorneys, and other professionals; (6) the quality and quantity of the programming to be created, promoted or facilitated by the organization or the company; (7) a review of the organization's procedures to ensure compliance with federal and state law, including the regulations of Connecticut state agencies; and (8) any other criteria determined to be relevant by the authority. If the authority selects an organization to provide community access operations, the company shall provide financial and technical support to the organization in an amount to be determined by the authority. On petition of the Office of Consumer Counsel or the franchise's advisory council or on its own motion, the authority shall hold a hearing, with notice, on the ability of the organization to continue its responsibility for community access operations. In its decision following such a hearing, the authority may reassign the responsibility for community access operations to another organization or the company in accordance with the provisions of this subsection.

(d) Each company or organization shall conduct outreach programs and promote its community access services. Such outreach and promotion may include, but not be limited to (1) broadcasting cross-channel video announcements, (2) distributing information throughout the franchise area and not solely to its subscribers, (3) including community access information in its regular marketing publications, (4) broadcasting character-generated text messages or video announcements on barker or access channels, (5) making speaking engagements, (6) holding open receptions at its community access facilities, and (7) in multitown franchise areas, encouraging the formation and development of local community access studios operated by volunteers or nonprofit operating groups.

(e) Each company or organization shall adopt for its community access programming a scheduling policy which encourages programming diversity. Said scheduling policy shall include (1) limiting a program, except instructional access and governmental access programming, to thirteen weeks in any one time slot when a producer of another program requests the same time slot, (2) procedures for resolving program scheduling conflicts, and (3) other measures which the company or organization deems appropriate. A company or organization may consider the availability of a substantially similar time slot when making community access programming scheduling decisions.

(f) In the case of any initial, transfer or renewal franchise proceeding held on or after October 1, 1990, the authority may, on its own initiative, in the first six months of the second, fifth, eighth and eleventh years of the franchise term, review and evaluate the company's or the organization's provision of community access programming. The authority shall conduct such review or evaluation in any such proceeding held on or after October 1, 1990, if the Consumer Counsel or any interested party petitions the authority for such a review during the first six months of the review year. During any such review year, if an organization desires to provide community access operations it shall petition the authority and the authority shall follow the procedures and standards described in subsection (c) of this section in determining whether to assign to the organization the responsibility to provide such operations. No community access programming produced using the facilities or staff of an organization or company providing community access operations shall be utilized for commercial purposes without express prior written agreement between the producer of such programming and the organization or company providing community access operations the facilities or staff of which were used in the production of the programming. Such an agreement may include, without limitation, a provision regarding the producer and the company or organization sharing any profit realized from such programming so utilized. An organization providing community access operations shall consult with the company in the franchise area prior to making such an agreement.

(g) No organization or company providing community access operations shall exercise editorial control over such programming, except as to programming that is obscene and except as otherwise allowed by applicable state and federal law. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit such organization or company from limiting the hours during which adult programs may be aired. Such organization or company may consult with the advisory council in determining what constitutes an adult program for purposes of this subsection.

(h) Upon the request of the Office of Consumer Counsel or the franchise's advisory council, and for good cause shown the authority shall require an organization responsible for community access operations to have an independent audit conducted at the expense of the organization. For purposes of this subsection, “good cause” may include, but not be limited to, the failure or refusal of such organization (1) to account for and reimburse the community access programming budget for its commercial use of community access programming facilities, equipment or staff, or for the allocation of such facilities, equipment or staff to functions not directly related to the community access operations of the franchise, (2) to carry over unexpended community access programming budget accounts at the end of each fiscal year, (3) to properly maintain community access programming facilities or equipment in good repair, or (4) to plan for the replacement of community access programming equipment made obsolete by technological advances. In response to any such request, the authority shall state, in writing, the reasons for its determination.

(i) Each company and nonprofit organization providing community access operations shall report annually to the authority on or before February fifteenth. The authority shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to specify the information which shall be required in such report. Such information shall be necessary for the authority to carry out the provisions of this section.

(j) The advisory council shall review all community access programming of a company or organization within the franchise area which programming has been the subject of a complaint.

(k) The authority shall establish the amount that the company or organization responsible for community access operations shall receive for such operations from subscribers and from multichannel video programming distributors. The amount shall be five dollars per subscriber per year, adjusted annually by a percentage reflecting the increase or decrease of the consumer price index for the preceding calendar year, provided the authority may increase or decrease the amount by not more than forty per cent of said amount for the subscribers and all multichannel video programming distributors within a franchise area after considering (1) the criteria set forth in subsection (c) of this section, (2) the level of public interest in community access operations in the franchise area, (3) the level of community need for educational access programming, (4) the level and breadth of participation in community access operations, (5) the adequacy of existing facilities, equipment and training programs to meet the current and future needs of the franchise area, and (6) any other factors determined to be relevant by the authority. Prior to increasing or decreasing said amount, the authority shall give notice and opportunity for a hearing to the company or multichannel video programming distributor and, where applicable, the organization responsible for community access programming. The amount shall be assessed once each year for each end user premises connected to an open video system, irrespective of the number of multichannel video programming distributors providing programming over the open video system. When the authority issues, transfers or renews a certificate of public convenience and necessity to operate a community antenna television system, the authority shall include in the franchise agreement the amount that the company or organization responsible for community access operations shall receive for such operations from subscribers. The authority shall conduct a proceeding to establish the amount that the company or organization responsible for community access operations shall receive for such operations from multichannel video programming distributors and the method of payment of said amount. The authority shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to implement the provisions of this subsection.

(l) An organization assigned responsibility for community access operations which organization ceases to provide such operations shall transfer its assets to the successor organization assigned such responsibility or, if no successor organization is assigned such responsibility, to another nonprofit organization within the franchise area selected by the authority.

(m) On petition or its own motion, the authority shall determine whether a franchise area is subject to effective competition, as defined in 47 USC 543, as from time to time amended. Upon a determination that a franchise area is subject to effective competition, the provisions of this section shall apply to multichannel video programming distributors operating in the franchise area, provided (1) where multichannel video programming distributors provide programming over a single open video system, the provisions of this section shall apply jointly and not separately to all such distributors providing programming on the same open video system, and (2) the provisions of subsection (k) of this section shall apply to multichannel video programming distributors whether or not such distributors operate in a franchise area subject to such effective competition.

(n) No community antenna television company or nonprofit organization providing community access operations shall refuse to engage in good faith negotiation regarding interconnection of such operations with other community antenna television companies serving the same area. No school or facility owned or leased by a municipal government that possesses community access operations equipment shall unreasonably deny interconnection with or the use of such equipment to any such company or nonprofit organization. At the request of such a company or nonprofit organization providing community access operations, the authority may facilitate the negotiation between such company or organization and any other community antenna television company regarding interconnection of community access operations.

(o) Each company or organization shall consult with its advisory council in the formation of a community access programming policy, the adoption of the community access programming budget and the allocation of capital equipment and community access programming resources.

(P.A. 87-580, S. 3, 4; P.A. 95-150, S. 2; P.A. 96-201; P.A. 98-121, S. 4; P.A. 07-253, S. 39–41; P.A. 13-5, S. 21.)

History: P.A. 95-150 replaced previous provision re moratorium on transfer of certificates for community antenna television systems prior to June 1, 1988, with new Subsecs. (a) to (m) re community access programming and operations; P.A. 96-201 amended Subsec. (g) to add the exception for “programming that is obscene” and to add language re adult programming; P.A. 98-121 amended Subsecs. (a), (k) and (m) by changing references to video dialtone platforms or networks to open video systems, amended Subsec. (b) by requiring companies to include all community access channels in its basic service package, amended Subsec. (f) by adding “eleventh”, amended Subsec. (i) by deleting list of information that must be in report and by requiring department to adopt regulations to specify such information and added new Subsec. (n) re interconnection of community access operations; P.A. 07-253 added Subsec. (d)(7) re multitown franchise areas, amended Subsec. (h) to define “good cause” and to require department to put reasons for its determination in writing if requested to do so and added Subsec. (o) re formation of community access programming policy, programming budget and allocation of equipment and resources; P.A. 13-5 amended Subsecs. (c), (f), (h), (i) and (k) to (n) to replace “department” with “authority”, effective May 8, 2013.