(a) Each community antenna television company, as defined in section 16-1, shall, not later than the date it extends energized trunk and feeder to all areas within its franchise territory in which there are at least twenty-five prospective subscribers per aerial plant mile of extension and fifty prospective subscribers per underground plant mile of extension, extend such trunk and feeder to public and private elementary and secondary schools in such franchise areas and offer one instructional television channel as part of its basic service. Each such company may utilize such instructional television channel for noninstructional television programming during any time when the channel is not needed for instructional programming. No such company shall be required to offer the instructional television channel on or after July 1, 1995, unless the Commission for Educational Technology certifies to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority that educational agencies in the company's franchise area have utilized the instructional television channel to provide, during the school year, an average of not less than twenty hours per week of credit and noncredit instructional programming, programming supporting school curricula and programming for professional development.

(b) The joint committee on educational technology shall be responsible for the utilization of instructional television channels provided in whole or in part by community antenna television companies.

(P.A. 83-584, S. 1, 3; P.A. 85-509, S. 8, 11; P.A. 88-52, S. 1, 2; P.A. 90-79, S. 2; P.A. 91-303, S. 10, 22; P.A. 92-146, S. 2, 5; P.A. 98-121, S. 10; P.A. 00-187, S. 53, 75; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 83-584, S. 1, effective July 1, 1984; 85-509 amended Subsec. (a) to allow instructional channel to be utilized for noninstructional programming when not needed for instructional programming, deleting provisions re channel sharing by instructional and public access or other partially used channels, and terminated channel requirement as of July 1, 1988, except upon certification of utilization by joint committee on educational technology; P.A. 88-52 in Subsec. (a) extended the deadline from July 1, 1988, to July 1, 1989, for the requirement that instructional television channels be offered; P.A. 90-79 extended deadline from July 1, 1989, to July 1, 1991, for the requirement that instructional television channels be offered; P.A. 91-303 in Subsec. (a) changed the date for cessation of instructional television from 1991 to 1992; P.A. 92-146 in Subsec. (a) extended deadline from July 1, 1992, to July 1, 1995, for the requirement that instructional television channels be offered and added a new Subsec. (c) re notification of schools of the availability of educational and instructional television channels; P.A. 98-121 deleted former Subsec. (c) concerning notice to schools; P.A. 00-187 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute the Commission for Educational Technology for a committee that was eliminated under the act, effective July 1, 2000; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Department of Public Utility Control” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority” in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2011.