Florida PIRG and allies support state-level cable franchise legislation that safeguards consumer protections by preserving responsibilities of local government, ensuring that all consumers gain access to competitive cable services, protecting public, educational and government programming, and improving the quality of customer service.
Any legislation to change the cable franchise process must:
• Maintain the control of local government authorities over rights of way, collection of franchise fees and enforcement of franchise agreements.
• Ensure that existing and future public, educational and government (PEG) stations are carried by video service providers and receive adequate funding to operate.
• Require that video service providers serve all consumers within their service territory over time. Reasonable exceptions for rural communities should be considered, provided that those consumers could be served by an alternative provider.
• Require that any and all communications networks in Florida operate under the principle of network neutrality, whereby all content is treated equally and without discrimination.
• Require that video service providers maintain and upgrade their networks state wide, and do not abandon communities they currently serve.
• Protect consumers by prohibiting cancellation fees, ensuring available customer service representatives, setting standards for prompt resolution of billing disputes, and guaranteeing credit for service outages.
• Allow video service providers and municipalities the opportunity to negotiate additional provisions not included above, and allow negotiation to establish specific parameters for build out, rate of franchise fees, level of support for PEG stations, and other provisions.
