Article 19.--TELEGRAPH, TELEPHONE AND TRANSMISSION LINES
17-1902.Rights, powers and liabilities of
telecommunications service providers; occupation of public right-of-way;
prohibition of use.
(a) (1) "Public right-of-way" means only the area of real property in which
the city has a dedicated or acquired right-of-way interest in the real
property. It shall include the area on, below or above the present and future
streets, alleys, avenues, roads, highways, parkways or boulevards dedicated or
acquired as right-of-way. The term does not include the airwaves above a
right-of-way with regard to wireless telecommunications or other nonwire
telecommunications or broadcast service, easements obtained by utilities or
private easements in platted subdivisions or tracts.
(2) "Provider" means a local exchange carrier as
defined in subsection
(h) of K.S.A. 66-1,187, and amendments thereto, or a telecommunications carrier
as defined in subsection (m) of K.S.A. 66-1,187, and amendments thereto, or
a video service provider as defined in
K.S.A. 2007 Supp.
12-2022, and
amendments thereto.
(3) "Telecommunications services" means providing the means of transmission,
between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's
choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and
received.
(4) "Competitive infrastructure provider" means an entity which leases, sells
or otherwise conveys facilities located in the right-of-way, or the capacity or
bandwidth of such facilities
for use in the provision of telecommunications services, internet services or
other intrastate and interstate traffic, but does not itself provide services
directly to end users within the corporate limits of the city.
(b) Any provider shall have the right pursuant to this act to construct,
maintain and operate poles, conduit, cable, switches and related appurtenances
and facilities along, across, upon and under any public right-of-way in this
state. Such appurtenances and facilities shall be so constructed and maintained
as not to obstruct or hinder the usual travel or public safety on such public
ways or obstruct the legal use by other utilities.
(c) Nothing in this act shall be interpreted as granting a provider the
authority to construct, maintain or operate any facility or related
appurtenance on property owned by a city outside of the public right-of-way.
(d) The authority of a provider to use and occupy the public right-of-way
shall always be subject and subordinate to the reasonable public health, safety
and welfare requirements and regulations of the city. A city may exercise its
home rule powers in its administration and regulation related to the
management of the public right-of-way provided that any such exercise must be
competitively neutral and may not be unreasonable or discriminatory. Nothing
herein shall be construed to limit the authority of cities to require a
competitive infrastructure provider to enter into a contract franchise
ordinance.
(e) The city shall have the authority to prohibit the use or occupation of a
specific portion of public right-of-way by a provider due to a reasonable
public interest necessitated by public health, safety and welfare so long as
the authority is exercised in a competitively neutral manner and is not
unreasonable or discriminatory. A reasonable public interest shall include the
following:
(1) The prohibition is based upon a recommendation of the city engineer, is
related to public health, safety and welfare and is nondiscriminatory among
providers, including incumbent providers;
(2) the provider has rejected a reasonable, competitively neutral and
nondiscriminatory justification offered by the city for requiring an alternate
method or alternate route that will result in neither unreasonable additional
installation expense nor a diminution of service quality;
(3) the city reasonably determines, after affording the provider reasonable
notice and an opportunity to be heard, that a denial is necessary to protect
the public health and safety and is imposed on a competitively neutral and
nondiscriminatory basis; or
(4) the specific portion of the public right-of-way for which the provider
seeks use and occupancy is environmentally sensitive as defined by state or
federal law or lies within a previously designated historic district as
defined by local, state or federal law.
(f) A provider's request to use or occupy a specific portion of the public
right-of-way shall not be denied without reasonable notice and an opportunity
for a public hearing before the city governing body. A city governing body's
denial of a provider's request to use or occupy a specific portion of the
public right-of-way may be appealed to a district court.
(g) A provider shall comply with all laws and rules and
regulations governing the use of public right-of-way.
(h) A city may not impose the following regulations on providers:
(1) Requirements
that particular business offices or other telecommunications facilities be
located in the city;
(2) requirements for filing applications, reports and documents that are not
reasonably related to the use of a public right-of-way or this act;
(3) requirements for city approval of transfers of ownership or control of
the business or assets of a provider's business, except that a city may
require that such entity maintain current point of contact information and
provide notice of a transfer within a reasonable time; and
(4) requirements concerning the provisioning of or quality of customer
services, facilities, equipment or goods in-kind for use by the city, political
subdivision or any other provider or public utility.
(i) Unless otherwise required by state law, in the exercise of its lawful
regulatory authority, a city shall promptly, and in no event more than 30 days,
with respect to facilities in the public right-of-way, process each valid and
administratively complete application of a provider for any permit, license or
consent to excavate, set poles, locate lines, construct facilities, make
repairs, effect traffic flow, obtain zoning or subdivision regulation
approvals, or for other similar approvals, and shall make reasonable effort not
to unreasonably delay or burden that provider in the timely conduct of its
business. The city shall use its best reasonable efforts to assist the provider
in obtaining all such permits, licenses and other consents in an expeditious
and timely manner.
(j) If there is an emergency necessitating response work or repair, a
provider may begin that repair or emergency response work or take any action
required under the circumstances, provided that the
provider
notifies the affected city promptly after beginning the work and timely
thereafter meets any permit or other requirement had there not been such an
emergency.
(k) A city may require a provider to repair all damage to a public
right-of-way caused by the activities of that provider, or of any agent
affiliate, employee, or subcontractor of that provider, while occupying,
installing, repairing or maintaining facilities in a public right-of-way and to
return the right-of-way, to its functional equivalence before the damage
pursuant to the reasonable requirements and specifications of the city. If the
provider fails to make the repairs required by the city, the city may effect
those repairs and charge the provider the cost of those repairs. If a city
incurs damages as a result of a violation of this subsection, then the city
shall have a cause of action against a provider for violation of this
subsection, and may recover its damages, including reasonable attorney fees, if
the provider is found liable by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(l) If requested by a city, in order to accomplish construction and
maintenance activities directly related to improvements for the health, safety
and welfare of the public, a
provider shall promptly remove
its facilities from the public right-of-way or shall relocate or adjust its
facilities within the public right-of-way at no cost to the political
subdivision. Such relocation or adjustment shall be completed as soon as
reasonably
possible within the time set forth in any request by the city for such
relocation or adjustment. Any damages suffered by the city or its contractors
as a result of such provider's failure to timely relocate or adjust its
facilities shall be borne by such provider.
(m) No city shall create, enact or erect any unreasonable condition,
requirement or barrier for entry into or use of the public rights-of-way by a
provider.
(n) A city may assess any of the following fees against a provider, for use
and occupancy of the public right-of-way, provided that such fees reimburse the
city for its reasonable, actual and verifiable costs of managing the
city right-of-way, and are imposed on all such providers in a nondiscriminatory
and
competitively neutral manner:
(1) A permit fee in connection with issuing each construction permit to set
fixtures in the public right-of-way within that city as provided in K.S.A.
17-1901, and amendments thereto, to compensate the city for issuing, processing
and verifying the permit application;
(2) an excavation fee for each street or pavement cut to recover the costs
associated with construction and repair activity of the provider, their
assigns, contractors and/or subcontractors with the exception of construction
and
repair activity required pursuant to subsection (l) of this act related to
construction and maintenance activities directly related to improvements for
the health, safety and welfare of the public; provided, however, imposition of
such excavation fee must be based upon a regional specific or other
appropriate study establishing the basis for such costs which takes into
account the life of the city street prior to the construction or repair
activity and the remaining life of the city street. Such excavation fee is
expressly limited to activity that results in an actual street or pavement cut;
(3) inspection fees to recover all reasonable costs associated with city
inspection of the work of the provider in the
right-of-way;
(4) repair and restoration costs associated with repairing and restoring the
public right-of-way because of damage caused by the provider, its assigns,
contractors, and/or subcontractors in the right-of-way; and
(5) a performance bond, in a form acceptable to the city, from a surety
licensed to conduct surety business in the state of Kansas, insuring
appropriate and timely performance in the construction and maintenance of
facilities located in the public right-of-way.
(o) A city may not assess any additional fees against providers for use or
occupancy of the public right-of-way other than those specified in subsection
(n).
(p) This act may not be construed to affect any valid taxation of a
provider's facilities or services.
(q) Providers shall indemnify and hold the city and its officers and
employees harmless against any and all claims, lawsuits, judgments, costs,
liens, losses, expenses, fees (including reasonable attorney fees and costs of
defense), proceedings, actions, demands, causes of action, liability and suits
of any kind and nature, including personal or bodily injury (including death),
property damage or other harm for which recovery of damages is sought, to the
extent that it is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be caused by
the negligence of the provider, any agent, officer, director, representative,
employee, affiliate or subcontractor of the provider, or their respective
officers, agents, employees, directors or representatives, while installing,
repairing or maintaining facilities in a public right-of-way. The indemnity
provided by this subsection does not apply to any liability
resulting from the negligence of the city, its officers, employees, contractors
or subcontractors. If a provider and the city are found jointly liable by a
court of competent jurisdiction, liability shall be apportioned comparatively
in accordance with the laws of this state without, however, waiving any
governmental immunity available to the city under state law and without waiving
any defenses of the parties under state or federal law. This section is
solely for the benefit of the city and provider and does not create or grant
any rights, contractual or otherwise, to any other person or entity.
(r) A provider or city shall promptly advise the other in writing of any
known claim or demand against the provider or the city related to or arising
out of the provider's activities in a public right-of-way.
(s) Nothing contained in K.S.A. 17-1902, and amendments thereto, is intended
to affect the validity of
any franchise fees collected pursuant to state law or a city's home rule
authority.
(t) Any ordinance enacted prior to the effective date of this act governing
the use and occupancy of the public right-of-way by a provider shall not
conflict with the provisions of this act.
History: L. 1907, ch. 140, § 3; R.S. 1923, 17-1902;
L. 2002, ch. 32, § 2;
L. 2006, ch. 93, § 7; July 1.
Article 19.--TELEGRAPH, TELEPHONE AND TRANSMISSION LINES
17-1902.Rights, powers and liabilities of
telecommunications service providers; occupation of public right-of-way;
prohibition of use.
(a) (1) "Public right-of-way" means only the area of real property in which
the city has a dedicated or acquired right-of-way interest in the real
property. It shall include the area on, below or above the present and future
streets, alleys, avenues, roads, highways, parkways or boulevards dedicated or
acquired as right-of-way. The term does not include the airwaves above a
right-of-way with regard to wireless telecommunications or other nonwire
telecommunications or broadcast service, easements obtained by utilities or
private easements in platted subdivisions or tracts.
(2) "Provider" means a local exchange carrier as
defined in subsection
(h) of K.S.A. 66-1,187, and amendments thereto, or a telecommunications carrier
as defined in subsection (m) of K.S.A. 66-1,187, and amendments thereto, or
a video service provider as defined in
K.S.A. 2007 Supp.
12-2022, and
amendments thereto.
(3) "Telecommunications services" means providing the means of transmission,
between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's
choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and
received.
(4) "Competitive infrastructure provider" means an entity which leases, sells
or otherwise conveys facilities located in the right-of-way, or the capacity or
bandwidth of such facilities
for use in the provision of telecommunications services, internet services or
other intrastate and interstate traffic, but does not itself provide services
directly to end users within the corporate limits of the city.
(b) Any provider shall have the right pursuant to this act to construct,
maintain and operate poles, conduit, cable, switches and related appurtenances
and facilities along, across, upon and under any public right-of-way in this
state. Such appurtenances and facilities shall be so constructed and maintained
as not to obstruct or hinder the usual travel or public safety on such public
ways or obstruct the legal use by other utilities.
(c) Nothing in this act shall be interpreted as granting a provider the
authority to construct, maintain or operate any facility or related
appurtenance on property owned by a city outside of the public right-of-way.
(d) The authority of a provider to use and occupy the public right-of-way
shall always be subject and subordinate to the reasonable public health, safety
and welfare requirements and regulations of the city. A city may exercise its
home rule powers in its administration and regulation related to the
management of the public right-of-way provided that any such exercise must be
competitively neutral and may not be unreasonable or discriminatory. Nothing
herein shall be construed to limit the authority of cities to require a
competitive infrastructure provider to enter into a contract franchise
ordinance.
(e) The city shall have the authority to prohibit the use or occupation of a
specific portion of public right-of-way by a provider due to a reasonable
public interest necessitated by public health, safety and welfare so long as
the authority is exercised in a competitively neutral manner and is not
unreasonable or discriminatory. A reasonable public interest shall include the
following:
(1) The prohibition is based upon a recommendation of the city engineer, is
related to public health, safety and welfare and is nondiscriminatory among
providers, including incumbent providers;
(2) the provider has rejected a reasonable, competitively neutral and
nondiscriminatory justification offered by the city for requiring an alternate
method or alternate route that will result in neither unreasonable additional
installation expense nor a diminution of service quality;
(3) the city reasonably determines, after affording the provider reasonable
notice and an opportunity to be heard, that a denial is necessary to protect
the public health and safety and is imposed on a competitively neutral and
nondiscriminatory basis; or
(4) the specific portion of the public right-of-way for which the provider
seeks use and occupancy is environmentally sensitive as defined by state or
federal law or lies within a previously designated historic district as
defined by local, state or federal law.
(f) A provider's request to use or occupy a specific portion of the public
right-of-way shall not be denied without reasonable notice and an opportunity
for a public hearing before the city governing body. A city governing body's
denial of a provider's request to use or occupy a specific portion of the
public right-of-way may be appealed to a district court.
(g) A provider shall comply with all laws and rules and
regulations governing the use of public right-of-way.
(h) A city may not impose the following regulations on providers:
(1) Requirements
that particular business offices or other telecommunications facilities be
located in the city;
(2) requirements for filing applications, reports and documents that are not
reasonably related to the use of a public right-of-way or this act;
(3) requirements for city approval of transfers of ownership or control of
the business or assets of a provider's business, except that a city may
require that such entity maintain current point of contact information and
provide notice of a transfer within a reasonable time; and
(4) requirements concerning the provisioning of or quality of customer
services, facilities, equipment or goods in-kind for use by the city, political
subdivision or any other provider or public utility.
(i) Unless otherwise required by state law, in the exercise of its lawful
regulatory authority, a city shall promptly, and in no event more than 30 days,
with respect to facilities in the public right-of-way, process each valid and
administratively complete application of a provider for any permit, license or
consent to excavate, set poles, locate lines, construct facilities, make
repairs, effect traffic flow, obtain zoning or subdivision regulation
approvals, or for other similar approvals, and shall make reasonable effort not
to unreasonably delay or burden that provider in the timely conduct of its
business. The city shall use its best reasonable efforts to assist the provider
in obtaining all such permits, licenses and other consents in an expeditious
and timely manner.
(j) If there is an emergency necessitating response work or repair, a
provider may begin that repair or emergency response work or take any action
required under the circumstances, provided that the
provider
notifies the affected city promptly after beginning the work and timely
thereafter meets any permit or other requirement had there not been such an
emergency.
(k) A city may require a provider to repair all damage to a public
right-of-way caused by the activities of that provider, or of any agent
affiliate, employee, or subcontractor of that provider, while occupying,
installing, repairing or maintaining facilities in a public right-of-way and to
return the right-of-way, to its functional equivalence before the damage
pursuant to the reasonable requirements and specifications of the city. If the
provider fails to make the repairs required by the city, the city may effect
those repairs and charge the provider the cost of those repairs. If a city
incurs damages as a result of a violation of this subsection, then the city
shall have a cause of action against a provider for violation of this
subsection, and may recover its damages, including reasonable attorney fees, if
the provider is found liable by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(l) If requested by a city, in order to accomplish construction and
maintenance activities directly related to improvements for the health, safety
and welfare of the public, a
provider shall promptly remove
its facilities from the public right-of-way or shall relocate or adjust its
facilities within the public right-of-way at no cost to the political
subdivision. Such relocation or adjustment shall be completed as soon as
reasonably
possible within the time set forth in any request by the city for such
relocation or adjustment. Any damages suffered by the city or its contractors
as a result of such provider's failure to timely relocate or adjust its
facilities shall be borne by such provider.
(m) No city shall create, enact or erect any unreasonable condition,
requirement or barrier for entry into or use of the public rights-of-way by a
provider.
(n) A city may assess any of the following fees against a provider, for use
and occupancy of the public right-of-way, provided that such fees reimburse the
city for its reasonable, actual and verifiable costs of managing the
city right-of-way, and are imposed on all such providers in a nondiscriminatory
and
competitively neutral manner:
(1) A permit fee in connection with issuing each construction permit to set
fixtures in the public right-of-way within that city as provided in K.S.A.
17-1901, and amendments thereto, to compensate the city for issuing, processing
and verifying the permit application;
(2) an excavation fee for each street or pavement cut to recover the costs
associated with construction and repair activity of the provider, their
assigns, contractors and/or subcontractors with the exception of construction
and
repair activity required pursuant to subsection (l) of this act related to
construction and maintenance activities directly related to improvements for
the health, safety and welfare of the public; provided, however, imposition of
such excavation fee must be based upon a regional specific or other
appropriate study establishing the basis for such costs which takes into
account the life of the city street prior to the construction or repair
activity and the remaining life of the city street. Such excavation fee is
expressly limited to activity that results in an actual street or pavement cut;
(3) inspection fees to recover all reasonable costs associated with city
inspection of the work of the provider in the
right-of-way;
(4) repair and restoration costs associated with repairing and restoring the
public right-of-way because of damage caused by the provider, its assigns,
contractors, and/or subcontractors in the right-of-way; and
(5) a performance bond, in a form acceptable to the city, from a surety
licensed to conduct surety business in the state of Kansas, insuring
appropriate and timely performance in the construction and maintenance of
facilities located in the public right-of-way.
(o) A city may not assess any additional fees against providers for use or
occupancy of the public right-of-way other than those specified in subsection
(n).
(p) This act may not be construed to affect any valid taxation of a
provider's facilities or services.
(q) Providers shall indemnify and hold the city and its officers and
employees harmless against any and all claims, lawsuits, judgments, costs,
liens, losses, expenses, fees (including reasonable attorney fees and costs of
defense), proceedings, actions, demands, causes of action, liability and suits
of any kind and nature, including personal or bodily injury (including death),
property damage or other harm for which recovery of damages is sought, to the
extent that it is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be caused by
the negligence of the provider, any agent, officer, director, representative,
employee, affiliate or subcontractor of the provider, or their respective
officers, agents, employees, directors or representatives, while installing,
repairing or maintaining facilities in a public right-of-way. The indemnity
provided by this subsection does not apply to any liability
resulting from the negligence of the city, its officers, employees, contractors
or subcontractors. If a provider and the city are found jointly liable by a
court of competent jurisdiction, liability shall be apportioned comparatively
in accordance with the laws of this state without, however, waiving any
governmental immunity available to the city under state law and without waiving
any defenses of the parties under state or federal law. This section is
solely for the benefit of the city and provider and does not create or grant
any rights, contractual or otherwise, to any other person or entity.
(r) A provider or city shall promptly advise the other in writing of any
known claim or demand against the provider or the city related to or arising
out of the provider's activities in a public right-of-way.
(s) Nothing contained in K.S.A. 17-1902, and amendments thereto, is intended
to affect the validity of
any franchise fees collected pursuant to state law or a city's home rule
authority.
(t) Any ordinance enacted prior to the effective date of this act governing
the use and occupancy of the public right-of-way by a provider shall not
conflict with the provisions of this act.
History: L. 1907, ch. 140, § 3; R.S. 1923, 17-1902;
L. 2002, ch. 32, § 2;
L. 2006, ch. 93, § 7; July 1.
Article 19.--TELEGRAPH, TELEPHONE AND TRANSMISSION LINES
17-1902.Rights, powers and liabilities of
telecommunications service providers; occupation of public right-of-way;
prohibition of use.
(a) (1) "Public right-of-way" means only the area of real property in which
the city has a dedicated or acquired right-of-way interest in the real
property. It shall include the area on, below or above the present and future
streets, alleys, avenues, roads, highways, parkways or boulevards dedicated or
acquired as right-of-way. The term does not include the airwaves above a
right-of-way with regard to wireless telecommunications or other nonwire
telecommunications or broadcast service, easements obtained by utilities or
private easements in platted subdivisions or tracts.
(2) "Provider" means a local exchange carrier as
defined in subsection
(h) of K.S.A. 66-1,187, and amendments thereto, or a telecommunications carrier
as defined in subsection (m) of K.S.A. 66-1,187, and amendments thereto, or
a video service provider as defined in
K.S.A. 2007 Supp.
12-2022, and
amendments thereto.
(3) "Telecommunications services" means providing the means of transmission,
between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's
choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and
received.
(4) "Competitive infrastructure provider" means an entity which leases, sells
or otherwise conveys facilities located in the right-of-way, or the capacity or
bandwidth of such facilities
for use in the provision of telecommunications services, internet services or
other intrastate and interstate traffic, but does not itself provide services
directly to end users within the corporate limits of the city.
(b) Any provider shall have the right pursuant to this act to construct,
maintain and operate poles, conduit, cable, switches and related appurtenances
and facilities along, across, upon and under any public right-of-way in this
state. Such appurtenances and facilities shall be so constructed and maintained
as not to obstruct or hinder the usual travel or public safety on such public
ways or obstruct the legal use by other utilities.
(c) Nothing in this act shall be interpreted as granting a provider the
authority to construct, maintain or operate any facility or related
appurtenance on property owned by a city outside of the public right-of-way.
(d) The authority of a provider to use and occupy the public right-of-way
shall always be subject and subordinate to the reasonable public health, safety
and welfare requirements and regulations of the city. A city may exercise its
home rule powers in its administration and regulation related to the
management of the public right-of-way provided that any such exercise must be
competitively neutral and may not be unreasonable or discriminatory. Nothing
herein shall be construed to limit the authority of cities to require a
competitive infrastructure provider to enter into a contract franchise
ordinance.
(e) The city shall have the authority to prohibit the use or occupation of a
specific portion of public right-of-way by a provider due to a reasonable
public interest necessitated by public health, safety and welfare so long as
the authority is exercised in a competitively neutral manner and is not
unreasonable or discriminatory. A reasonable public interest shall include the
following:
(1) The prohibition is based upon a recommendation of the city engineer, is
related to public health, safety and welfare and is nondiscriminatory among
providers, including incumbent providers;
(2) the provider has rejected a reasonable, competitively neutral and
nondiscriminatory justification offered by the city for requiring an alternate
method or alternate route that will result in neither unreasonable additional
installation expense nor a diminution of service quality;
(3) the city reasonably determines, after affording the provider reasonable
notice and an opportunity to be heard, that a denial is necessary to protect
the public health and safety and is imposed on a competitively neutral and
nondiscriminatory basis; or
(4) the specific portion of the public right-of-way for which the provider
seeks use and occupancy is environmentally sensitive as defined by state or
federal law or lies within a previously designated historic district as
defined by local, state or federal law.
(f) A provider's request to use or occupy a specific portion of the public
right-of-way shall not be denied without reasonable notice and an opportunity
for a public hearing before the city governing body. A city governing body's
denial of a provider's request to use or occupy a specific portion of the
public right-of-way may be appealed to a district court.
(g) A provider shall comply with all laws and rules and
regulations governing the use of public right-of-way.
(h) A city may not impose the following regulations on providers:
(1) Requirements
that particular business offices or other telecommunications facilities be
located in the city;
(2) requirements for filing applications, reports and documents that are not
reasonably related to the use of a public right-of-way or this act;
(3) requirements for city approval of transfers of ownership or control of
the business or assets of a provider's business, except that a city may
require that such entity maintain current point of contact information and
provide notice of a transfer within a reasonable time; and
(4) requirements concerning the provisioning of or quality of customer
services, facilities, equipment or goods in-kind for use by the city, political
subdivision or any other provider or public utility.
(i) Unless otherwise required by state law, in the exercise of its lawful
regulatory authority, a city shall promptly, and in no event more than 30 days,
with respect to facilities in the public right-of-way, process each valid and
administratively complete application of a provider for any permit, license or
consent to excavate, set poles, locate lines, construct facilities, make
repairs, effect traffic flow, obtain zoning or subdivision regulation
approvals, or for other similar approvals, and shall make reasonable effort not
to unreasonably delay or burden that provider in the timely conduct of its
business. The city shall use its best reasonable efforts to assist the provider
in obtaining all such permits, licenses and other consents in an expeditious
and timely manner.
(j) If there is an emergency necessitating response work or repair, a
provider may begin that repair or emergency response work or take any action
required under the circumstances, provided that the
provider
notifies the affected city promptly after beginning the work and timely
thereafter meets any permit or other requirement had there not been such an
emergency.
(k) A city may require a provider to repair all damage to a public
right-of-way caused by the activities of that provider, or of any agent
affiliate, employee, or subcontractor of that provider, while occupying,
installing, repairing or maintaining facilities in a public right-of-way and to
return the right-of-way, to its functional equivalence before the damage
pursuant to the reasonable requirements and specifications of the city. If the
provider fails to make the repairs required by the city, the city may effect
those repairs and charge the provider the cost of those repairs. If a city
incurs damages as a result of a violation of this subsection, then the city
shall have a cause of action against a provider for violation of this
subsection, and may recover its damages, including reasonable attorney fees, if
the provider is found liable by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(l) If requested by a city, in order to accomplish construction and
maintenance activities directly related to improvements for the health, safety
and welfare of the public, a
provider shall promptly remove
its facilities from the public right-of-way or shall relocate or adjust its
facilities within the public right-of-way at no cost to the political
subdivision. Such relocation or adjustment shall be completed as soon as
reasonably
possible within the time set forth in any request by the city for such
relocation or adjustment. Any damages suffered by the city or its contractors
as a result of such provider's failure to timely relocate or adjust its
facilities shall be borne by such provider.
(m) No city shall create, enact or erect any unreasonable condition,
requirement or barrier for entry into or use of the public rights-of-way by a
provider.
(n) A city may assess any of the following fees against a provider, for use
and occupancy of the public right-of-way, provided that such fees reimburse the
city for its reasonable, actual and verifiable costs of managing the
city right-of-way, and are imposed on all such providers in a nondiscriminatory
and
competitively neutral manner:
(1) A permit fee in connection with issuing each construction permit to set
fixtures in the public right-of-way within that city as provided in K.S.A.
17-1901, and amendments thereto, to compensate the city for issuing, processing
and verifying the permit application;
(2) an excavation fee for each street or pavement cut to recover the costs
associated with construction and repair activity of the provider, their
assigns, contractors and/or subcontractors with the exception of construction
and
repair activity required pursuant to subsection (l) of this act related to
construction and maintenance activities directly related to improvements for
the health, safety and welfare of the public; provided, however, imposition of
such excavation fee must be based upon a regional specific or other
appropriate study establishing the basis for such costs which takes into
account the life of the city street prior to the construction or repair
activity and the remaining life of the city street. Such excavation fee is
expressly limited to activity that results in an actual street or pavement cut;
(3) inspection fees to recover all reasonable costs associated with city
inspection of the work of the provider in the
right-of-way;
(4) repair and restoration costs associated with repairing and restoring the
public right-of-way because of damage caused by the provider, its assigns,
contractors, and/or subcontractors in the right-of-way; and
(5) a performance bond, in a form acceptable to the city, from a surety
licensed to conduct surety business in the state of Kansas, insuring
appropriate and timely performance in the construction and maintenance of
facilities located in the public right-of-way.
(o) A city may not assess any additional fees against providers for use or
occupancy of the public right-of-way other than those specified in subsection
(n).
(p) This act may not be construed to affect any valid taxation of a
provider's facilities or services.
(q) Providers shall indemnify and hold the city and its officers and
employees harmless against any and all claims, lawsuits, judgments, costs,
liens, losses, expenses, fees (including reasonable attorney fees and costs of
defense), proceedings, actions, demands, causes of action, liability and suits
of any kind and nature, including personal or bodily injury (including death),
property damage or other harm for which recovery of damages is sought, to the
extent that it is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be caused by
the negligence of the provider, any agent, officer, director, representative,
employee, affiliate or subcontractor of the provider, or their respective
officers, agents, employees, directors or representatives, while installing,
repairing or maintaining facilities in a public right-of-way. The indemnity
provided by this subsection does not apply to any liability
resulting from the negligence of the city, its officers, employees, contractors
or subcontractors. If a provider and the city are found jointly liable by a
court of competent jurisdiction, liability shall be apportioned comparatively
in accordance with the laws of this state without, however, waiving any
governmental immunity available to the city under state law and without waiving
any defenses of the parties under state or federal law. This section is
solely for the benefit of the city and provider and does not create or grant
any rights, contractual or otherwise, to any other person or entity.
(r) A provider or city shall promptly advise the other in writing of any
known claim or demand against the provider or the city related to or arising
out of the provider's activities in a public right-of-way.
(s) Nothing contained in K.S.A. 17-1902, and amendments thereto, is intended
to affect the validity of
any franchise fees collected pursuant to state law or a city's home rule
authority.
(t) Any ordinance enacted prior to the effective date of this act governing
the use and occupancy of the public right-of-way by a provider shall not
conflict with the provisions of this act.
History: L. 1907, ch. 140, § 3; R.S. 1923, 17-1902;
L. 2002, ch. 32, § 2;
L. 2006, ch. 93, § 7; July 1.