Title 34, Public Utilities.

(a) The franchisee shall assume all legal responsibility for, and shall hold the District harmless from, any costs or liability that arise because of injury to persons or property caused by, or in relation, to the provision of the package of services for digitally-disadvantaged r…

In evaluating and awarding the franchise agreement, the Mayor shall give priority to entities that have the technical and financial ability to successfully provide the package of services for digitally-disadvantaged residents included in each proposal and provide written evidence…

(a) The Mayor shall notify the franchisee in writing of any violations of the franchise agreement and shall establish a compliance schedule for correcting the violations. If the compliance schedule is not met, the Mayor may terminate the franchise agreement after 60 days’ written…

Notwithstanding provisions of Unit A of Chapter 3 of Title 2, to the contrary, except the protest and dispute provisions over which the Contract Appeals Board shall maintain jurisdiction, the Mayor shall implement the following franchise selection procedure in awarding one or mor…

The Mayor may delegate the powers established by this chapter to OCTO. In exercising this authority, OCTO may consult with such other agencies as it considers appropriate in the best interests of the District.

Each franchise agreement shall comply with § 2-1402.67.

This chapter shall not constitute, or be construed to comprise, a franchise agreement.

If a provision of this chapter or its application to a particular person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity does not affect other persons or applications.

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) Repealed. (2) “Commission” means the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia. (2A) “Consumer” means an individual who purchases prepaid wireless telecommunications service in a retail transaction for any purpose other …

(a) There is established a fund designated as the Emergency and Non-Emergency Number Telephone Calling Systems Fund, which shall be separate from the General Fund of the District of Columbia and shall be used solely for the purposes set forth in subsection (b) of this section. Th…

(a)(1) There is imposed upon all local exchange carriers, including wireline and wireless carriers and interconnected Voice Over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) service providers, as defined by 47 C.F.R. § 9.3, that connect users who dial or enter the digits 9-1-1 to the District’s pu…

(a)(1) A prepaid wireless E911 charge of 2.0% of the sales price per retail transaction occurring in the District shall be collected by the seller from the consumer, and remitted to the District. The amount of the prepaid wireless E911 charge shall be separately stated on an invo…

All revenues from the following sources shall be deposited into the Fund: (1) Steam (including arrearage payments) for the Correctional Treatment Facility received by the District since October 1, 2007; and (2) From fines paid due to automated photo enforcement in any one fiscal …

Not later than September 15, 2003, the Mayor shall submit to the Council an analysis of the expenses of the Fund, which analysis shall include a recommendation as to whether the tax imposed under § 34-1803 should be adjusted. In preparing this analysis: (1) It shall be assumed th…

No later than October 1, 2007, the Office of Unified Communications shall establish a schedule for the replacement of equipment for the 911 system. The schedule shall be updated on February 1 of each subsequent year.

(a) The Public Service Commission shall have the power and authority to prescribe rules and regulations for the operation, maintenance, and location of outdoor pay telephones in the District of Columbia. (b) The Commission shall, by rules or regulations, establish standards: (1) …

The Mayor of the District of Columbia shall not permit or authorize any additional telegraph, telephone, electric lighting or other wires to be erected or maintained on or over any of the streets or avenues of the City of Washington; provided, that the Mayor of the District may, …

All telephone poles and wires attached thereto not the property of the United States or the District of Columbia existing June 20, 1902, upon the streets and avenues within the section of the District of Columbia bounded by a line beginning at 2nd and B Streets Southeast and runn…

From time to time any individual, company, or corporation, maintaining and operating on June 20, 1902, a telephone plant or system in said District, partly overhead and partly underground, shall prepare and submit to the said Mayor a plan or plans, or application or applications,…

Any individual, company, or corporation owning and maintaining such poles and wires attached thereto on or over any street or avenue within the section of the District described in § 34-1911.01 who shall willfully neglect or refuse to remove the same, as provided in § 34-1911.02,…

Said Mayor is empowered to authorize the erection and maintenance of poles in the alleys of said city and District and the stringing thereon of telephone conductors from alley poles or housetop fixtures in one square to alley poles or housetop fixtures in another square for the p…

All subways, conduits, manholes, and overhead lines constructed or erected under the provisions of this subchapter shall be subject to such reasonable regulations as the Council of the District of Columbia may from time to time prescribe as to inspection, location, character of c…

The said Mayor is empowered to authorize any such individual, company, or corporation owning and operating on June 20, 1902, any lines of street poles and wires and any alley poles or alley-pole line within the District of Columbia and outside of the section described in § 34-191…

Congress reserves the right to alter, amend, or repeal this subchapter.

All telegraph poles and the wires attached thereto, not the property of the United States or the District of Columbia, upon the streets, avenues and alleys on March 3, 1905 within the fire limits of the District of Columbia, except as hereinafter provided, shall from time to time…

From time to time, any company or corporation, or its assigns, on March 3, 1905, or thereafter maintaining and operating a telegraph plant or system in said District, shall prepare and submit to the said Mayor a plan or plans or application or applications, in writing, showing th…

Any company or corporation now or hereafter owning and maintaining such poles and wires attached thereto on or over any street or avenue within the said limits described in § 34-1921.01, which shall willfully neglect or refuse to remove the same, as provided in § 34-1921.01, shal…

Said Mayor is empowered to authorize the erection and maintenance of poles in the alleys of said District, and the stringing thereon of wires or conductors for telegraph purposes from alley poles or housetop fixtures in one square to alley poles or housetop fixtures in another sq…

Any officer of the United States government charged with the care, maintenance, and supervision of any public park or reservation may grant permission to any company or corporation maintaining and operating a telegraph plant or system in said District on March 3, 1905, or thereaf…

All subways, conduits, manholes, and overhead lines constructed or erected under the provisions of this subchapter shall be subject to such reasonable regulations as the Council of the District of Columbia may from time to time prescribe as to inspection, location, character of c…

The said Mayor is empowered to authorize any such company or corporation owning and operating lines of street poles and wires on March 3, 1905, or thereafter and any alley poles or alley-pole line or housetop wires within the said District and outside of the limits described in §…

Congress reserves the right to alter, amend, or repeal this subchapter, but nothing herein shall abridge or lessen the rights granted telegraph companies under Title 65, § 5263 [repealed] and the following, United States Revised Statutes of the Code of the Laws of the United Stat…

If at any time the District of Columbia or the national government shall acquire, by purchase, condemnation proceedings, or otherwise, the property of any telegraph company in the District of Columbia, nothing shall then be paid for the rights accorded under §§ 34-1921.01 to 34-1…

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) “Bell Operating Company” (“BOC”) means Bell Atlantic Company. (2) “Cable” means coaxial cable, copper wire, fiber optic telecommunications cable, or other tangible linear transmission medium that may be used in lieu of any of the fo…

(a) The Public Service Commission may, upon petition by the incumbent local exchange carrier and pursuant to procedures developed by the PSC, reclassify any telecommunications service offered by the incumbent local exchange carrier. (b) Pursuant to the federal Telecommunications …

(a) The Public Service Commission shall establish a Universal Service Trust Fund, and determine those services which shall constitute universal service in the District of Columbia, the costs of providing universal service, and the amount of subsidy needed to maintain the Universa…

Nothing in this chapter shall prevent the PSC from proceeding with respect to a formal case in process before the Commission so long as it is not inconsistent with the requirements of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996.

(a) Any telecommunications provider in the District shall have the right to utilize the public right-of-ways of the District for installation, maintenance, repair, replacement, and operation of its telecommunications system on terms and conditions that are competitively neutral; …

The Public Service Commission shall have the authority to promulgate rules to ensure that access to public and privately owned buildings is afforded in a manner which does not unjustly or unreasonably discriminate between or among providers of telecommunications services. The Com…

(a) This chapter shall not apply to cable television services performed pursuant to an existing cable television franchise agreement with the District of Columbia which is in effect on September 9, 1996. To the extent that a cable television company seeks to provide local exchang…

Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, each local exchange carrier in the District of Columbia shall be subject to the same District of Columbia taxes and fees and shall be entitled to the same tax exemptions, including, but not limited to, personal property taxes. For purp…

(a) In the implementation of this chapter, it shall be the policy of the District government to promote the hiring, education, and training of District residents in every facet of telecommunications endeavor in the District. (b) Pursuant to this chapter, it shall be the policy of…

For the purposes of this subchapter: (1) The term “sanitary sewage” means: (A) Domestic sewage with storm and surface water limited; (B) Sewage discharging from sanitary conveniences; (C) Commercial or industrial wastes; and (D) Water supply after it has been used. (2) The term “…

Subject to appropriations, amounts in the General Fund of the District of Columbia (including any special account therein) as established by the Revenue Funds Availability Act of 1975 [D.C. Law 1-42] shall be available for use by or under the direction and control of the Mayor of…

The Secretary of the Treasury, notwithstanding the provisions of the District of Columbia Appropriation Act, approved June 29, 1922 (42 Stat. 668), is authorized and directed to advance, on the requisition of the Mayor of the District of Columbia, made in the manner now prescribe…

(a) The sanitary sewer service charges established under the authority of this subchapter shall be based on the following: (1) A billing methodology which takes into account both the water consumption of, and water service to, a property and the amount of impervious surface on a …