5106

COUNTY LOCAL LAWS

AUGMENTED.

(4)    PROPOSED LOCAL PROGRAMMING: WHILE THIS
CRITERION WILL BE CONSIDERED IN OTHER AREAS AS WELL, THE
GRANTING AUTHORITY STRESSES THAT IT WILL PLACE
CONSIDERABLE WEIGHT UPON THE PROPOSALS OF THE APPLICANT
TO PROVIDE LOCAL PROGRAMMING BY, FOR AND ABOUT COUNTY
RESIDENTS.

(5)    DIVERSIFICATIONS OF CONTROL OF MEDIA:
THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS, THE FCC, AND THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE ARE CONCERNED WITH THE CONCENTRATION OF MASS
MEDIA IN THE UNITED STATES. NATIONAL TRENDS AND POLICIES
NOW SUPPORT THE CONCEPT OF DIVERSIFICATION OF CONTROL OF
MASS MEDIA. CATV SYSTEMS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE
MASS MEDIA. ACCORDINGLY, THE GRANTING AUTHORITY WILL
PLACE WEIGHT UPON THE DEGREE TO WHICH EACH APPLICANT, IF
AWARDED THE FRANCHISE, WOULD TEND TO DIVERSIFY THE
CONTROL OF MASS MEDIA, IN THE COUNTY, IN THE STATE, IN
THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES AND NATIONALLY.

(6)    LOCAL OWNERSHIP: THE GRANTING AUTHORITY
MAY AWARD THE FRANCHISE TO AN APPLICANT OR PERSON THAT
DOES NOT RESIDE IN THE COUNTY, THE STATE, OR THE REGION.
THE GRANTING AUTHORITY SHALL CONSIDER LOCAL RESIDENCY,
PARTICULARLY WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF HARFORD COUNTY, AS
A SUBSTANTIAL PLUS FOR THE APPLICANT. THE PERFORMANCE OF
LOCAL RESIDENTS MAY BE FOUND BY THE GRANTING AUTHORITY TO
BE EASIER TO ASCERTAIN, TO PREDICT AND TO RELY UPON. THE
GRANTING AUTHORITY STATES THAT IT IS NOT UNREASONABLE TO
BELIEVE THAT THOSE WHO HAVE LIVED WITHIN THE COUNTY OR
STATE ARE LIKELY TO FEEL A GREATER PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY
TO COUNTY RESIDENTS. FINALLY, IN THE EVENT OF
MALFUNCTION OF THE SYSTEM. OR OTHER DEFICIENCY,
LOCAL-RESIDENT OWNERS AND OPERATORS MAY BE MORE
ACCESSIBLE TO THE COUNTY AND THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
SUBSCRIBING TO THE SYSTEM'S SERVICE. FOR THE PURPOSES
USED HEREIN, THE WEIGHT GIVEN TO LOCAL RESIDENCY SHALL BE
INCREASED OR DECREASED, AS THE CASE MAY BE, BY THE DEGREE
TO WHICH THE LOCAL-RESIDENT OWNERS HAVE A PROVEN RECORD
TO CONTRIBUTING TO THE WELL BEING OF THE COUNTY, ITS MANY
CIVIC AND PUBLIC SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE CITIZENRY
IN GENERAL.

(7)    CUMULATIVE WEIGHT: THE GRANTING
AUTHORITY STRESSES THAT AN APPLICANT MAY BE FOUND TO BE
PREFERABLE IN ONE OR TWO OF THE ABOVE CRITERIA AND BE SO
DEFICIENT IN THE OTHERS THAT IT WOULD NOT BE ENTITLED TO
RECEIVE A FRANCHISE. THEREFORE, IT IS THE COMBINED,
CUMULATIVE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE APPLICANT, UNDER ALL
CRITERIA, THAT SHALL BE PREFERRED.

(D) GRANDFATHERING OF EXISTING OPERATIONS: THE
GRANTING AUTHORITY RECOGNIZES THAT THE MULTIVIEW CABLE