Senate Bill No. 19
(By Senator Wooton)
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[Introduced January 13, 1995; referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section sixteen, article eighteen,
chapter five of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to the West
Virginia cable television systems act; and requiring cable
operators to allow customers thirty days to pay the monthly
service bill before a late charge is imposed.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section sixteen, article eighteen, chapter five of the
code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 18. WEST VIRGINIA CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEMS ACT.
§5-18-16. Rates; filing with board; approval.
(a) The board shall require each cable operator to file a
schedule of its rates of service on a form and with the notice
that the board may prescribe.
(b) To the extent permitted by federal law, the board shall regulate rates to ensure that they are just and reasonable both
to the public and to the cable operator and are not unduly
discriminatory.
(c) To the extent permitted by federal law, the board shall
regulate charges other than those related to rates for the
provision of basic cable service to ensure that they are just and
reasonable and not unduly discriminatory.
(d) Every cable operator shall allow customers a period of
thirty days from the mailing date of bills for monthly service to
pay that bill, before a late charge may be imposed.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require cable
television operators to allow customers a period of 30 days, from
the mailing date of monthly service bills, to pay that bill,
before a late charge may be imposed.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.