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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />/;-~ ((f';.'\ ~. ;:~)"~W7 <br />, I I " I L...... J I <br />" ~'!J ; ".~ .' <br />',:~ 'l,.'-.,1 ~ ~ I I <br />'>.,.--< ......, ! ~ I.. <br /> <br />ASKINS & ARMSTRONG. P. C. <br />ATTORNEYS AT LAW <br />702 W. F'AIRMONT PARKWAY <br />P.O. SOX 121B <br />LA PORTE. TEXAS 77572-1218 <br /> <br />KNOX W. ASKINS <br />.JOHN D. ARMSTRONG <br /> <br />CHARLES R. HUSER. .JR. <br />BOARD CERTI"'E:D . CIVIL TRIAL L"AW <br />TEXAS BOARD OF' LEGAL SPECIALIZATION <br /> <br />TELEPHONE 2BI 471-IBB6 <br />TELECOPIER 2BI 471-2047 <br /> <br />November 18, 1997 <br /> <br />Hon. Mayor & City Council <br />City of La Porte <br />City Hall <br />La Porte, Texas <br /> <br />Re: Southwestern Bell Telephone Company <br />Franchise Renewal <br /> <br />Gentlemen: <br /> <br />The current Southwestern Bell Telephone Company franchise with the <br />City of La Porte expired September 30, 1997, and was renewed to <br />March 31, 1998, by City Council. <br /> <br />The last session of the Texas Legislature passed S.B. 1937, a <br />photocopy of which is attached to this letter. It added Section <br />3.270 to the Public utility Regulatory Act of 1995. The bill <br />establishes an Interim Legislative Committee to study a number of <br />issues involving the use of public rights-of-way in municipalities <br />by telecommunications utilities (including cable television <br />companies) . The Committee has six members from both the Texas <br />House and Senate. <br /> <br />Specifically, the Committee is to investigate: <br /> <br />a. the need for consistency in terms and conditions, including <br />authorized compensation methodology, to be included in <br />municipal franchise agreements; <br /> <br />b. the impact of existing municipal fee agreements, ordinances, <br />charters or other municipal requirements on the provisions of <br />competitive telecommunications services by telecommunications <br />utilities and the authority of the legislature to establish <br />the basis for and require modification of those agreements, <br />ordinances, charters or other requirements; <br /> <br />c. the type and amount of cost incurred by municipalities by <br />virtue of the use of municipalities' rights-of-way and public <br />property by telecommunications utilities; <br /> <br />d. the type, basis for, and amount of revenue received by <br />municipalities from telecommunications utilities; <br />