Subd. 1. Requirement; conditions.

1. (a) A municipality shall require a franchise or extension permit of any cable communications system providing service within the municipality.
2. (b) No municipality shall grant an additional franchise for cable service for an area included in an existing franchise on terms and conditions more favorable or less burdensome than those in the existing franchise pertaining to: (1) the area served; (2) public, educational, or governmental access requirements; or (3) franchise fees. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply when the area in which the additional franchise is being sought is not actually being served by any existing cable communications company holding a franchise for the area. Nothing in this paragraph prevents a municipality from imposing additional terms and conditions on any additional franchises.

Subd. 2. Other requirements.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent franchise requirements in excess of those prescribed unless such requirement is inconsistent with this chapter.

Subd. 3. Municipal operation.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to limit any municipality from the right to construct, purchase, and operate cable communications systems, or, to operate facilities and channels for community television, including, but not limited to, public, educational, and governmental access and local origination programming. Any municipal system, including the operation of community television by a municipality, shall be subject to this chapter to the same extent as would any nonpublic cable communications system.

Subd. 4. Fee, tax, or charge.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to limit the power of any municipality to impose upon any cable communications company a fee, tax or charge.

Subd. 5. Joint commission.

Municipalities may by ordinance or resolution create a joint cable communications commission under section 471.59, to which each member municipality may delegate authority vested in the municipality by statute or charter to prepare, adopt, grant, administer, and enforce a cable communications franchise, and establish rates thereunder. The adoption, granting, administration and enforcement of a cable communications franchise, and the establishment of rates thereunder by a joint cable communications commission, pursuant to this subdivision is deemed to comply with procedural requirements of a statute or charter for the adoption, granting, administration and enforcement of a franchise, and establishment of rates. A member of the commission may, by ordinance adopted in the manner provided by section 412.191, subdivision 4, adopt by reference the joint cable communication franchise in the manner provided by section 471.62. The members and governing body of the joint commission shall consist of two representatives appointed by each municipality, at least one of whom shall be a member of the council of that municipality or its designee and the other a qualified voter residing within that municipality.