
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 47USC552]

 
          TITLE 47--TELEGRAPHS, TELEPHONES, AND RADIOTELEGRAPHS
 
                 CHAPTER 5--WIRE OR RADIO COMMUNICATION
 
                  SUBCHAPTER V-A--CABLE COMMUNICATIONS
 
                    Part IV--Miscellaneous Provisions
 
Sec. 552. Consumer protection and customer service


(a) Franchising authority enforcement

    A franchising authority may establish and enforce--
        (1) customer service requirements of the cable operator; and
        (2) construction schedules and other construction-related 
    requirements, including construction-related performance 
    requirements, of the cable operator.

(b) Commission standards

    The Commission shall, within 180 days of October 5, 1992, establish 
standards by which cable operators may fulfill their customer service 
requirements. Such standards shall include, at a minimum, requirements 
governing--
        (1) cable system office hours and telephone availability;
        (2) installations, outages, and service calls; and
        (3) communications between the cable operator and the subscriber 
    (including standards governing bills and refunds).

(c) Subscriber notice

    A cable operator may provide notice of service and rate changes to 
subscribers using any reasonable written means at its sole discretion. 
Notwithstanding section 543(b)(6) of this title or any other provision 
of this chapter, a cable operator shall not be required to provide prior 
notice of any rate change that is the result of a regulatory fee, 
franchise fee, or any other fee, tax, assessment, or charge of any kind 
imposed by any Federal agency, State, or franchising authority on the 
transaction between the operator and the subscriber.

(d) Consumer protection laws and customer service agreements

                    (1) Consumer protection laws

        Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to prohibit any 
    State or any franchising authority from enacting or enforcing any 
    consumer protection law, to the extent not specifically preempted by 
    this subchapter.

             (2) Customer service requirement agreements

        Nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude a 
    franchising authority and a cable operator from agreeing to customer 
    service requirements that exceed the standards established by the 
    Commission under subsection (b) of this section. Nothing in this 
    subchapter shall be construed to prevent the establishment or 
    enforcement of any municipal law or regulation, or any State law, 
    concerning customer service that imposes customer service 
    requirements that exceed the standards set by the Commission under 
    this section, or that addresses matters not addressed by the 
    standards set by the Commission under this section.

(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title VI, Sec. 632, as added Pub. L. 98-549, 
Sec. 2, Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2796; amended Pub. L. 102-385, Sec. 8, 
Oct. 5, 1992, 106 Stat. 1484; Pub. L. 104-104, title III, Sec. 301(g), 
Feb. 8, 1996, 110 Stat. 117.)


                               Amendments

    1996--Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 104-104 added subsec. (c) and 
redesignated former subsec. (c) as (d).
    1992--Pub. L. 102-385 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, 
section read as follows:
    ``(a) A franchising authority may require, as part of a franchise 
(including a franchise renewal, subject to section 546 of this title), 
provisions for enforcement of--
        ``(1) customer service requirements of the cable operator; and
        ``(2) construction schedules and other construction-related 
    requirements of the cable operator.
    ``(b) A franchising authority may enforce any provision, contained 
in any franchise, relating to requirements described in paragraph (1) or 
(2) of subsection (a) of this section, to the extent not inconsistent 
with this subchapter.
    ``(c) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to prohibit any 
State or any franchising authority from enacting or enforcing any 
consumer protection law, to the extent not inconsistent with this 
subchapter.''


                    Effective Date of 1992 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 102-385 effective 60 days after Oct. 5, 1992, 
see section 28 of Pub. L. 102-385, set out as a note under section 325 
of this title.


                             Effective Date

    Section effective 60 days after Oct. 30, 1984, except where 
otherwise expressly provided, see section 9(a) of Pub. L. 98-549, set 
out as a note under section 521 of this title.
