HR 5252 RFS 
transmission of public, educational, or gov-
ernmental programming, without material 
deterioration 
in 
signal 
quality 
or 
functionality; and 
‘‘(ii) the reasonable allocation of the 
costs of such interconnection between such 
cable operators. 
‘‘(E) A cable operator shall display the 
program information for public, educational, or 
governmental programming carried under this 
subsection in any print or electronic program 
guide in the same manner in which it displays 
program information for other video program-
ming in the franchise area. The cable operator 
shall not omit such public, educational, or gov-
ernmental programming from any navigational 
device, guide, or menu containing other video 
programming that is available to subscribers in 
the franchise area. 
‘‘(f) RIGHTS-OF-WAY.— 
‘‘(1) AUTHORITY TO USE.—Any franchise under 
this section for a franchise area shall be construed 
to authorize the construction of a cable system over 
public rights-of-way, and through easements, which 
is within the area to be served by the cable system 
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sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
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and which have been dedicated for compatible uses, 
except that in using such easements the cable oper-
ator shall ensure that— 
‘‘(A) the safety, functioning, and appear-
ance of the property and the convenience and 
the safety of other persons not be adversely af-
fected by the installation or construction of fa-
cilities necessary for a cable system; 
‘‘(B) the cost of the installation, construc-
tion, operation, or removal of such facilities be 
borne by the cable operator or subscriber, or a 
combination of both; and 
‘‘(C) the owner of the property be justly 
compensated by the cable operator for any dam-
ages caused by the installation, construction, 
operation, or removal of such facilities by the 
cable operator. 
‘‘(2) MANAGEMENT
OF
PUBLIC
RIGHTS-OF- 
WAY.—Nothing in this section affects the authority 
of a State or local government (including a fran-
chising authority) over a person or group in their ca-
pacity as a cable operator with a franchise under 
this section to manage, on a reasonable, competi-
tively neutral, and non-discriminatory basis, the pub-
lic rights-of-way, and easements that have been dedi-
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cated for compatible uses. A State or local govern-
ment (including a franchising authority) may, on a 
reasonable, competitively neutral, and non-discrimi-
natory basis— 
‘‘(A) impose charges for such management; 
and 
‘‘(B) require compliance with such man-
agement, such charges, and paragraphs (1)(A), 
(B), and (C). 
‘‘(g) CONSUMER PROTECTION AND CUSTOMER SERV-
ICE.— 
‘‘(1) NATIONAL STANDARDS.—Notwithstanding 
section 632(d), no State or local law (including any 
regulation) shall impose on a cable operator fran-
chised under this section any consumer protection or 
customer service requirements other than consumer 
protection or customer service requirements of gen-
eral applicability. 
‘‘(2) PROCEEDING.—Within 120 days after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Commission 
shall issue a report and order that updates for cable 
operators franchised under this section the national 
consumer protection and customer service rules 
under section 632(b), taking into consideration the 
national nature of a franchise under this section and 
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the role of State and local governments in enforcing, 
but not creating, consumer protection and customer 
service standards for cable operators franchised 
under this section. 
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS OF NEW RULES.— 
‘‘(A) Such rules shall, in addition to the 
requirements of section 632(b), address, with 
specificity, no less than the following consumer 
protection and customer service issues: 
‘‘(i) Billing, billing disputes, and dis-
continuation of service, including when and 
how any late fees may be assessed (but not 
the amount of such fees). 
‘‘(ii) Loss of service or service quality. 
‘‘(iii) Changes in channel lineups or 
other cable services and features. 
‘‘(iv) Availability of parental control 
options. 
‘‘(B) The Commission’s revised consumer 
protection rules shall provide for forfeiture pen-
alties, or customer rebates, refunds or credits, 
or both, and shall establish forfeiture, rebate, 
refund, and credit guidelines with respect to 
violations of such rules. Such guidelines shall— 
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