Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 7 > LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS > Chapter 59 - Cable Television

• Access: means that a provider is capable of providing cable service or video service at the household address regardless of whether any customer has ordered service or whether the owner or landlord or other responsible person has granted access to the household. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Agency: means each state board, commission, committee, department, officer, or any other unit of state government authorized or required by any statute or constitutional provision to make rules or to determine contested cases. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• articles of organization: means , in the case of an LLC, articles of organization or, to the extent applicable with respect to an LLC initially formed under and governed by the Tennessee Limited Liability Company Act, compiled in chapters 201-248 of this title, articles of conversion, taken together with all of the following, to the extent they modify, correct, restate or otherwise affect the articles of organization or articles of conversion: articles of amendment, articles of correction, certificates of merger and all documents required to be filed with any of the articles of amendment, articles of correction and certificates of merger, as part of the formation and continuation of an LLC. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Board: means the Tennessee hall of fame board created within the department under §. See Tennessee Code 4-3-5402
• Business: means every trade, occupation, profession, investment activity, and other lawful purpose for gain or the preservation of assets, whether or not carried on for profit. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Cable service: means :
  (A) The one-way transmission to subscribers of video programming or other programming service. See Tennessee Code 7-59-201
• Cable service provider: means a provider of cable service. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Cable system: means a facility consisting of a set of closed transmission paths and associated signal generation, reception, and control equipment that is designed to provide cable service that includes video programming and that is provided to multiple subscribers within a community. See Tennessee Code 7-59-201
• Cable system: has the meaning set forth in 47 U. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Code: includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Commissioner: means the commissioner of tourist development, or the commissioner's designee. See Tennessee Code 4-3-5402
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contested case: means a proceeding, including a declaratory proceeding, in which the legal rights, duties or privileges of a party are required by any statute or constitutional provision to be determined by an agency after an opportunity for a hearing. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• County mayor: means and includes "county executive" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Days: means calendar days. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Department: means the Tennessee public utility commission. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Department: means the department of tourist development. See Tennessee Code 4-3-5402
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Drug court treatment program: means any drug court treatment program created within the state that follows the general principles referenced in §. See Tennessee Code 16-22-103
• Entertainment properties: means motion pictures, television programs, computer-generated imagery, interactive digital media, stand-alone post-production scoring and editing, sound recordings, and other audio, video, or audiovisual programs produced for distribution to the public. See Tennessee Code 4-3-5002
• Entity: means , whether foreign or domestic and whether for profit or not-for-profit, limited liability companies, corporations, unincorporated associations, real estate investment trusts, statutory or business trusts or associations, estates, general partnerships, limited partnerships, registered or unregistered limited liability partnerships, limited liability limited partnerships or similar organizations, trusts, joint ventures, two (2) or more persons having a joint or common economic interest, and local, municipal, state, United States and foreign governments. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Financial rights: means a member's or holder's rights to:
  (A) Share in profits and losses, as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Franchise: means an initial authorization or renewal of an authorization issued by a franchising authority, whether such authorization is designated as a franchise, permit, license, resolution, contract, certificate, agreement, or otherwise, that authorizes the construction or operation of a cable system. See Tennessee Code 7-59-201
• Franchise: has the meaning set forth in 47 U. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Franchise area: means , with respect to a large telecommunications provider that is a holder of a state-issued certificate of franchise authority, the aggregate geographic area containing its basic local exchange wire-line telephone service areas within the state. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Franchise authority: means "franchising authority" as set forth in 47 U. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Franchising authority: means any governmental entity empowered by federal, state, or local law to grant a franchise. See Tennessee Code 7-59-201
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Gross revenues: means :
  (A) With respect to a holder of a state-issued certificate of franchise authority, all revenues received from subscribers in the applicable municipality or unincorporated county area for providing cable or video services, and all revenues received from nonsubscribers in the applicable municipality or unincorporated county area for advertising services and as commissions from home shopping services, as allocated pursuant to subdivision (11)(B). See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Hall of fame: means the Tennessee sports hall of fame created under §. See Tennessee Code 4-3-5402
• Highway: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• holder: means a person, other than a member, owning any financial rights in an LLC. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Household: means an apartment, a house, a mobile home, or any other structure or part of a structure intended for residential occupancy as separate living quarters. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Incumbent cable service provider: means any cable service provider who provided cable service in a municipality or in an unincorporated area of a county on July 1, 2008, under a franchise whether or not the franchise had expired on July 1, 2008. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• internal management: means the administration of an agency's internal operations for the purpose of facilitating operational effectiveness and efficiency. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lands: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Large telecommunications provider: means a cable or video service provider using telecommunications facilities to provide cable or video service that, as of January 1, 2008, directly or through any subsidiary or affiliate, had more than one million (1,000,000) telecommunications access lines in this state. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Law: includes rules promulgated in accordance with §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-1102
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• License: includes the whole or part of any agency, permit, certificate, approval, registration, charter or similar form of permission required by law. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• Licensing: includes the agency process respecting the grant, denial, renewal, revocation, suspension, withdrawal or amendment of a license. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• LLC: means a limited liability company, organized under chapters 201-248 of this title. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Local government: means any county, municipality, city or other political subdivision of this state. See Tennessee Code 4-3-5002
• Local government: means any county, municipality, city or other political subdivision of this state, including any school districts or school systems created thereby. See Tennessee Code 4-3-5525
• Manager: means a person who is vested with authority as a manager under §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Member: means a person that has been admitted to an LLC as a member, as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Other governing body: means only that body having the taxing authority. See Tennessee Code 5-16-101
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Party: means each person or agency named or admitted as a party, or properly seeking and entitled as of right to be admitted as a party. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• Person: means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, governmental subdivision, or public or private organization of any character, including another agency. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Policy: means any statement, document, or guideline prepared or issued by any agency pursuant to its delegated authority that merely defines or explains the meaning of a statute or a rule. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Public right-of-way: means the area on, along, below, or above a public roadway, highway, street, sidewalk, alley, bridge or waterway that is not private property. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Publication: means a posting of materials on the appropriate website by the secretary of state that have been submitted in accordance with this chapter or any other information for which the secretary of state is responsible. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Road: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Rule: includes the establishment of a fee and the amendment or repeal of a prior rule. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
• Secretary: means the corporate officer to whom the bylaws or the board of directors has delegated responsibility under §. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• State communications: refers to the transmission of voice, data, video, the written word or other visual signals by electronic means but does not include broadcast radio and television facilities. See Tennessee Code 4-3-5525
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Urban type public facilities: means and includes sanitary and storm sewer lines and facilities, plants for the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage and waste matter, facilities and plants for the incineration or other disposal of garbage, trash, ashes and other waste matter, or water supply and distribution lines, facilities and plants, chemical pipelines and docks, or all of these things, and fire protection and emergency medical services. See Tennessee Code 5-16-101
• Video programming: means programming provided by, or generally considered comparable to programming provided by, a television broadcast station or cable system. See Tennessee Code 7-59-201
• Video programming: means programming provided by, or generally considered comparable to programming provided by a television broadcast station, as set forth in 47 U. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• Video service provider: means a provider of video service. See Tennessee Code 7-59-303
• written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105