5340                                              VETOES

(1) It is in the public interest of the State that the
counties, municipalities, and Baltimore City regulate cable
television franchises in order to make available to their
citizens adequate and efficient cable television services at
reasonable rates.

(2) It has been and shall continue to be the policy of
this State to authorize the counties, municipalities, and
Baltimore City to supplant competition by granting 1 or more
franchise(s) for cable television system(s) on an exclusive
basis, to impose franchise fees, to establish certain rates
charged to subscribers, and to establish rules and
regulations to govern the operation of the franchise(s).

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, for
purposes of this Act, a cable television system shall be
defined as provided for by local law in a county,
municipality, or Baltimore City, or, if not so provided for,
shall be defined as a nonbroadcast facility consisting of a
set of transmission paths and associated signal generation,
reception, and central equipment, under common ownership and
control, that distributes or is designed to distribute to
subscribers the signals of one or more television broadcast
stations, but such term shall not include (1) any such
facility that serves fewer than 50 subscribers, or (2) any
such facility that serves or will serve only subscribers in
1 or more multiple unit dwellings under common ownership,
control, or management.

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF

MARYLAND SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That
section(s) of the Charter of Baltimore City read(s) as
follows:

The Charter of Baltimore City

Article II - General Powers

The Mayor and City Council of Baltimore shall have full
power and authority to exercise all of the powers heretofore
or hereafter granted to it by the Constitution of Maryland
or by any Public General or Public Local Laws of the State
of Maryland; and in particular, without limitation upon the
foregoing, shall have power by ordinance, or such other
method as may be provided for in its Charter, subject to the
provisions of said Constitution and Public General Laws:

(35A) TO GRANT ONE OR MORE FRANCHISES, WHICH MAY BE
EXCLUSIVE IN NATURE, FOR A COMMUNITY ANTENNA SYSTEM OR OTHER
CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEM, TO ESTABLISH RATES AND REGULATE
SERVICES, TO IMPOSE FRANCHISE FEES, AND TO ESTABLISH OTHER
RULES TO GOVERN THE OPERATION OF THE FRANCHISES.