2010 Tennessee Code
Title 7 - Consolidated Governments
Chapter 59 - Cable Television
Part 3 - Competitive Cable and Video Services Act
7-59-310 - Placement of underground utilities Notice and specifications.

7-59-310. Placement of underground utilities Notice and specifications.

(a)  Nothing in this part precludes the exercise of police powers by municipalities or counties, including the adoption and enforcement of any proper ordinances or resolutions not in conflict with this part.

     (1)  Nothing in this part diminishes or derogates from the ordinances or resolutions duly adopted by the governing body of a municipality or county and applicable to occupants or users of the public rights-of-way.

     (2)  Cable and video service providers must abide by the rights-of-way ordinances and resolutions of the municipality or county of general applicability in which the service is provided as well as any applicable state laws or rules.

     (3)  Nothing in this part diminishes or derogates from the existing powers promoting the health, safety and welfare of a community and its citizens, including the authority to regulate, during the permitting process, the installation and placement of video or cable facilities for the purpose of addressing the aesthetic concerns of the community.

(b)  (1)  Notwithstanding any provision in this part to the contrary, in cases of new construction or property development where utilities are to be placed underground, each municipality, county or other relevant permitting authority shall establish as a condition to issuing each permit for open trenching to any developer or property owner that the developer or property owner give all providers of cable or video service serving the applicable municipality or county at least sixty (60) days' prior notice of the construction or development, and of the particular dates on which open trenching will be available for the providers' installation of conduit, pedestals or vaults, and laterals, referred to in this subsection (b) as equipment, to be provided at each such provider's expense.

     (2)  In the event a developer or property owner fails to give the required notice, the developer or property owner shall be responsible for the cost of new trenching for the installation of the cable or video service provider's equipment.

     (3)  Each provider shall also provide specifications as needed for trenching. Costs of trenching and easements required to bring service to the development shall be borne by the developer or property owner; except that, if any cable or video service provider fails to install its equipment within the dates during which the trenches are scheduled to be open, as designated in the notice given by the developer or property owner, then should the trenches be closed after such time period, the cost of new trenching is to be borne by the cable or video service provider.

     (4)  In the event the relevant permitting rules of a municipality, county or other relevant permitting authority require less than sixty (60) days' advance notice to all providers of cable or video service providers service, then the required notice shall be the lesser of sixty (60) days or the number of days prior to construction that the relevant rules require for the advance notice, but in no event less than ten (10) days. If a municipality, county or other relevant permitting authority's rules do not specify any minimum advance notice of construction requirements, then the required notice shall be sixty (60) days.

(c)  The grant of authority provided holders of a state-issued certificate of franchise authority pursuant to § 7-59-305(e) does not expressly or implicitly authorize such a holder to use publicly or privately owned conduits without a separate agreement with the owners of the conduits.

[Acts 2008, ch. 932, § 11.]