2676                               County Local Laws

mum franchise fees for each calendar year during which the franchise is
effective. In any year in which five (5%) per cent of the gross annual
receipts of any Grantee shall be less than the minimum set forth in the
franchise, then the Grantee shall pay the minimum compensation.

(b)   The Grantee shall pay the minimum amounts set forth in sub-
section (a) of this section in advance before January 1 of each year.

(c)  The Grantee shall report, in such detail as the Council may re-
quire, before the twentieth (20th) day of each January, April, July and
October its gross annual receipts for the preceding calendar quarter and
shall remit:

(1) The amount provided for in subsection (a) of this section.

(d)  Within thirty (30) days from the effective date of a franchise
issued pursuant to this Act the Grantee shall pay Howard County all
monies due and owing to Howard County.

(e)   In the event that any payment is not made on or before the appli-
cable date fixed in subsections (b), (c) and (d), interest on such payment
shall apply from such date at two percent (2%) above the then prevailing
prime rate of interest.

(f)  All payments due Howard County shall be made to the Director
of Finance of Howard County, Courthouse, Ellicott City, Maryland. The
Director of Finance shall deposit all receipts under this Section (14.712)
in a fund to be known as "The Public Service Communications Fund,"
which shall be maintained for the purpose of financing administrative
costs incurred by the County in implementing this Act and for financing
public service communications on the public channels, the county chan-
nels and the education channels. The County Executive shall in the annual
budget provide for the expenditure of this Fund, after consultation with
the CATV Service Advisory Committee established pursuant to Section
14.709 (g).

(g)   In the event the Grantee continues the operation of any part or
all of the System beyond the cancellation or expiration of the franchise
to be issued pursuant to this Act, it shall pay to Howard County the com-
pensation as set forth in this Act at the rate in effect at the time of such
cancellation or expiration, and in the manner set forth in this Act at the
rate in effect at the time of such cancellation or expiration, and in the
manner set in this Act, together with all taxes it would have been re-
quired to pay had its operation been duly authorized.

(h) Payments of compensation made by the Grantee to Howard
County pursuant to the provisions of this Act shall not be considered in
the nature of a tax, but shall be in addition to any and all taxes which
are now or hereafter required to be paid by any law of the State of Mary-
land, Howard County, or the United States.

14.713. Operational Standards.

The CATV System shall be installed and maintained in accordance
with the highest accepted standards of the cable and communications in-
dustries and the FCC to the end that the subscriber may receive the
highest and most desirable form of service.

(a) In determining satisfactory compliance with the provisions of
this section, the following, among other things shall be considered: