A public provider furnishing cable service to subscribers in the exercise of authority granted under this chapter in areas provided cable service by private cable providers who, by virtue of the provisions of the private cable providers' franchises or otherwise, are required or undertake voluntarily to allocate all direct costs and indirect costs, associated with the provision of cable service fully to the rates charged subscribers for cable service and to establish and charge subscriber rates for cable service which reflect all direct costs and indirect costs, related to the provision of this service, shall allocate all direct costs and indirect costs associated with the provision of cable service hereunder fully to the rates charged subscribers of the cable service, and shall establish and charge subscriber rates for cable service which reflect all direct costs and indirect costs related to the provision of this service. A public provider furnishing a telecommunications service in the exercise of authority granted under this chapter shall allocate all direct costs and indirect costs associated with the provision of telecommunications service hereunder fully to the rates charged the recipients of the telecommunications service, and shall establish and charge rates for telecommunications service which reflect all direct costs and indirect costs related to the provision of the telecommunications service. For purposes of this section, each public provider of cable service or telecommunications service shall in the computation of its costs of cable service or telecommunications service, as the case may be, and in the determination of its rates and charges for cable service or telecommunications service, as the case may be, impute an amount equal to the amount of the franchise-imposed fee or fees and any pole attachment fees which it would pay to itself in the case of a municipality, or to the municipality whose governing body authorized its organization, in the case of a municipal instrumentality, if any, were it a private provider of cable service or telecommunications service, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no public provider of cable service or telecommunications service shall be required to impute in the computation of its costs of cable service or telecommunications service, as the case may be, or in the determination of its rates and charges for cable service or telecommunications service, as the case may be, any amount relating to a franchise-imposed fee or fees and pole attachment fees which the public provider of cable service or telecommunications service, as the case may be, actually pays and which is, therefore, already included in the actual costs it incurs in providing cable service or telecommunications service, as the case may be, and no public provider furnishing cable service or telecommunications service in the exercise of authority granted under this chapter shall be required to adjust or revise its rates and charges more frequently than annually.
Last modified: May 3, 2021