§ 12-04. Intent and purpose.

(A)

It is the intent of the County and the purpose of this chapter to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare by providing for the grant of one or more franchises for the construction, maintenance and operation of a cable system or cable systems within Orange County; to provide for the regulation, to the extent provided for by law, of each cable system within Orange County in the public interest; to provide for the payment of fees and other valuable consideration by a franchisee to the County for the use of public rights-of-way by its cable system; to promote the widespread availability of quality cable service to Orange County residents and businesses, the County, and other public institutions; to encourage the development of cable and other communication technologies and cable systems as a means of communication between and among the public, businesses, the County, and other public institutions; to promote competitive cable rates and services; to promote the safe and efficient use of public rights-of-way; to enhance and maximize the communicative potential of public rights-of-way used by cable systems; and to encourage the provision of a diversity of information sources by cable technology to Orange County residents, businesses, the community, the County, and other public institutions.

(B)

Recognizing the continuing development of communications technology and uses, it is the policy of the County to encourage experimentation and innovation in the development of cable system uses, services, programming and techniques that will be of general benefit to the community to the extent all such experiments and innovations are consistent with applicable law.

(Ord. No. 98-20, § 1, 9-15-98)