Cablevision 2011 Annual Report Download - page 14

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reaches expiration, a franchising authority may seek to impose new requirements, including requirements
to upgrade facilities, to increase channel capacity and to provide additional support for local public,
education and government access programming. Negotiations can be protracted, and franchise
agreements sometimes expire before a renewal is negotiated and finalized. New York and New Jersey
state laws provide that pre-existing franchise terms continue in force during the renewal negotiations until
agreement is reached or one or both parties seek to pursue "formal" franchise remedies under federal law.
In Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, the Company's right to operate following the expiration of a
franchise for franchises still in renewal negotiations is protected by federal law and/or the consent of the
municipality. In approximately 40 municipalities in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, the Company
operates its cable television systems without a franchise, pursuant to Section 621(b)(2) of the Federal
Cable Act, which provides that no franchise is required in communities where the cable operator or its
predecessor lawfully provided service as of July 1, 1984 and the municipality has not requested a
franchise. Federal law provides significant substantive and procedural protections for cable operators
seeking renewal of their franchises. See "Regulation - Cable Television." Despite the Company's efforts
and the protections of federal law, it is possible that one or more of the Company's franchises may be
subject to termination or non-renewal or we may be required to make significant additional investments in
response to requirements imposed in the course of the franchise renewal process.
Optimum Lightpath holds a franchise from New York City which grants rights of way authority to
provide telecommunications services throughout the five boroughs. The franchise expired on
December 20, 2008 and renewal discussions with New York City are ongoing. We believe we will be
able to obtain renewal of the franchise and have received assurance from New York City that the
expiration date of the franchise is being treated as extended until a formal determination on renewal is
made. Failure to ultimately obtain renewal of the franchise could negatively affect Optimum Lightpath's
revenues.
Other
Newsday
Newsday consists of the Newsday daily newspaper, amNew York, Star Community Publishing Group and
online websites, including newsday.com and exploreLI.com. Newsday has also developed and deployed
applications for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
Our publications are distributed through both paid and free distribution in various ways across Long
Island and the New York metropolitan service area. Our products include:
• the Newsday daily newspaper, which is primarily distributed on Long Island, New York and in
the New York metropolitan area
• amNew York, a free daily newspaper distributed in New York City; and
• Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications.
News 12 Networks
The regional news services provided by the Company include News 12 Long Island, News 12 New
Jersey, News 12 Westchester, News 12 Connecticut, News 12 The Bronx, News 12 Brooklyn, News 12
Hudson Valley, and News 12 Interactive, as well as News 12 Traffic and Weather (collectively, the
"News 12 Networks"). The News 12 Networks include seven 24-hour local news channels and five
traffic and weather services dedicated to covering areas within the New York metropolitan area. News 12
Networks is available to all subscribers throughout our footprint in the New York metropolitan area.