Sec. 16-333b. Service to franchise area. Underground service lines.
Sec. 16-333b. Service to franchise area. Underground service lines. (a) No
community antenna television company shall refuse to construct that plant necessary
to serve any portion of its franchise area on the sole basis that such portion can only be
served by underground facilities.
(b) No community antenna television company shall extend its service to any new
franchise area unless such company has provided full service to the primary franchise
area of the original franchise area specified in its certificate of public convenience and
necessity. For purposes of this subsection, "primary franchise area" means any contiguous areas within the franchised territory, the outer limits of which shall be as near as
possible to eighty residential dwelling units per mile of street or highway, and which
has been so designated by the franchise holder.
(c) The Department of Public Utility Control shall permit a community antenna
television company to extend service to any portion of its franchise area with a low
population density and to charge prospective subscribers in that portion of its area differential rates to recover the construction and operating costs over a period not to exceed
five years. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as affecting any application for
a certificate of public convenience and necessity filed in accordance with section 16-331 and pending before the department on April 6, 1981.
(d) A community antenna television company shall install underground service
lines at the same time as, and in the same place that, electric and telephone utilities
install underground facilities within the franchise territory. The department shall establish regulations in accordance with chapter 54 which may allow for the waiver of this
requirement in low density areas and for a company to charge the owner of the property
in which the service lines are installed for the cost of the installation.
(P.A. 75-301, S. 2, 3; P.A. 79-533, S. 1; P.A. 81-37, S. 1, 2; 81-393, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 79-533 added Subsec. (b) re extension of service to new franchise area; P.A. 81-37 added Subsec. (c)
requiring department to permit companies to charge prospective subscribers in low density areas differential rates; P.A.
81-393 added Subsec. (d) requiring installation of underground service lines simultaneously with electric and telephone
facilities and requiring department regulations re waiver of requirement in low density areas and company's power to
charge property owner for such installation.