NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1969 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 782

HOUSE BILL 1197

 

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE DAVIDSON COUNTY TO OPERATE OR GRANT FRANCHISES FOR THE OPERATION OF CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEMS OUTSIDE MUNICIPALITIES IN DAVIDSON COUNTY.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

 

Section 1. The Board of County Commissioners of Davidson County is hereby authorized to establish, operate, and maintain, but not within one mile of the city limit of any municipality, a cable television system and to make reasonable charges for services rendered. The Board of Commissioners is authorized to grant upon reasonable terms franchises for the operation of cable television systems, such grants not to exceed the period of 20 years, to levy reasonable franchise taxes on the business of operating cable television systems, and to prohibit the operation of cable television systems without a franchise. For the purposes of this Act "cable television system" shall include any system or facility which, by means of a master antenna and wires or cables, or of wires and cables alone, receives, amplifies, modifies, transmits, or distributes any television, radio, or electronic signal, audio or video or both, to subscribing members of the public for compensation; provided, that "cable television system" shall not include the providing by any person, firm, or corporation of master antenna service or to property owned or leased by such person, firm, or corporation, if no part of any public right-of-way or easement is used in providing such service; and further provided, that this subdivision shall not apply to communication services rendered to such a cable television system by a public utility which services are subject to regulation by the North Carolina Utilities Commission or the Federal Communications Commission."

Sec. 2. All laws and clauses of laws in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed.

Sec. 3. This Act shall be in full force and effect from and after its ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 11th day of June, 1969.