“To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to preserve cable franchising authority, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes procedures and a 120-day deadline for franchising authorities to approve or deny a complete request for a new cable franchise (not a renewal), with the request deemed granted if no decision is issued by the day after the deadline. It specifies that the deadline (1) applies collectively to all required approval proceedings; (2) may not be tolled by any moratorium; (3) begins upon receipt of a complete request, deemed complete if the applicant takes the franchising authority's first required procedural step and receives no written deficiency notice (citing specific rules) within 30 days; and (4) requires any denial to be in writing, supported by substantial evidence in a written record, publicly released, and provided to the requester on the same day. (Thus, the provision accelerates local government approvals for cable operators to build systems over public rights-of-way, promoting competition while protecting against unreasonable delays.)