Hawarden » Chapter 110

CHAPTER 110

UTILITY SERVICE AND POLICY DEFINITIONS

110.01 DEFINITIONS. Unless another meaning is specifically indicated, the definitions given below apply to terms used in Chapters 90, 95, 96, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 116 and 117 of this Code of Ordinances. Where a definition is not specifically provided, those definitions listed in IAC Chapters 19, 20 and 22 and Chapter 384 of the Code of Iowa shall apply for the specific utility service in question.

“Account holder, primary” means a person 18 years of age or older, partnership, firm, association, corporation, governmental agency or other legal entity, that is receiving a City utility service, whose name is specifically listed on an account as the primary entity responsible for decisions regarding the service and for financial obligations created from the use of the service.
“Account holder, secondary” means a person 18 years of age or older, partnership, firm, association, corporation, governmental agency or other legal entity responsible by law for payment for a City utility service said person is receiving, regardless of whether or not said person is specifically listed on the account.
“Account status” terms are defined as follows:
“Closed” refers to an account that is no longer receiving utility service.
“Current” refers to an open or closed account that has paid all outstanding balances prior to the due date, with the exception of the most recent bill prior to the due date and any amount not yet read and billed.
“Delinquent” refers to any open or closed account that has not paid a service bill or service payment agreement amount in full on or before the last day for timely payment.
“Fully paid” refers to a closed account that has fully paid any and all charges against it.
“Grossly delinquent” refers to any open or closed account that has not fully paid the amount due after more than 90 days past the due date posted on the bill.
“Open” or “active” refers to an account that is presently receiving utility service.
“Paid to date” refers to an open or closed account that has paid all billed utility charges but that may still have unread and/or unbilled charges outstanding.
“Additional deposit” means deposit monies required in addition to an initial or new deposit necessary to cover an increase in number and/or types of services, usage of service previously underestimated with the initial or new deposit required.
“Applicant” means a person 18 years of age or older, partnership, firm, association, corporation, governmental agency or other legal entity, applying to the City for utility services.
“Basic service” means the cable entertainment television service tier above minimum service for which a separate price is charged.
“Bulk service” means the cable entertainment television service to multiple residential living dwellings where owners accept the responsibility of a single billing for all their units regardless of occupancy. The owner pays and provides service to tenants; fee is usually included in rent.
“Cable Act” means Section 631 of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1934 as amended.
“Channel” means a portion of the electromagnetic frequency spectrum, or any other means of transmission, which is capable of carrying a video signal, an audio signal, a voice signal or a data signal, or any combination of such signals.
“Combined telecommunications service account” means an account for all telecommunications services, including telephone, Cable TV, and Internet services.
“Combined utility service account” means an account for the service of water, wastewater, gas, electric, and garbage collection.
“Commercial” means basic analog and basic digital and DMX cable entertainment services to a business establishment whose customers are being provided access to the video services.
“Commission” means the Department of Commerce Utility Division.
“Complaint” means a statement or question by anyone whether a utility customer or not, alleging a wrong, grievance, injury, dissatisfaction, illegal action or procedure, dangerous condition or action, or utility obligation.
“Converter” means a device utilized by a subscriber to change the frequency or other characteristics of a signal.
“Cubic foot” means a measure of gas having its meanings set forth at 250 IAC 19.1(3)e, which shall be construed in the context of use. (In general these definitions describe the quantity of gas occupying one cubic foot at specified conditions, including temperature and pressure).
“Customer” means any account holder or anyone else that directly receives or uses a City utility service.
“Delinquent” or “delinquency” refers to an account for which a service bill or service payment agreement has not been paid in full on or before the last date for timely payment.
“Demand” or “demand power” means a quantity of electric power needed by the customer at a given point in time.
“Deposit” means an amount determined by the Utility to be paid and kept on deposit with the Utility until good credit rating is achieved (usually within one year) or service is terminated.
“Digital base package” means the lowest tier of digital cable television service.
“Drop” means the cable that connects the subscriber terminal at a point in the subscriber’s home, designated by the subscriber, to the nearest feeder cable of the communications system.
“Equipment” means one or more of the following, but not limited to: converter, converter-descrambler, remote-control unit, security device, addressable control module, A/B switch, ground block, splitter, trap, cable modem, coaxial cable or fiber optic cable which is not inside wiring.
“Ethernet” means a physical link and data link protocol that operates at 10 Mbps (10,000,000 bits per second).
“FCC” means the Federal Communications Commission, its designee, or any successor thereto.
“Gas” means manufactured gas, natural gas, other hydrocarbon gases, or any mixture of gases produced, transmitted, distributed or furnished by the Utility.
“Heating and calorific values” – as set forth in 250 IAC 19.1(3)j. (Definitions for such values as BTU, therm, and various measures of BTU’s evolved by combustion are found in the section cited.)
“Initial deposit” means a deposit required when first securing a utility service to include adding service if required according to the criteria herein.
“Inside wiring” means the cable that exists inside the subscriber’s home or business to a point 12 inches outside of the home or business, and includes any extra outlets, splitters, connections, fittings, or wall plates attached to it.
“Installation” means the act of connecting or activating the communications system from the feeder cable to the subscriber terminal so that the subscriber may receive communications services.
“Interruption of utility service” means any disturbance of the utility supply whereby service to at least fifty customers in one segment or in a portion of a distribution system has been disrupted.
“IUB” means Iowa Utilities Board.
“Local service” means the cable entertainment television service tier that includes the retransmission of local television broadcast signals.
“Main” means a gas pipe, owner operated, or maintained by the Utility, which is used for the purpose of transmission or distribution of gas, but does not include the “service line.”
“Maximum demand” means the greatest demand required by the customer during a specific length of time.
“Meter” means a device that measures and registers the integral of a water, electric or gas quantity with respect to time.
“New deposit” means a deposit required if the initial deposit has been returned and the criteria exists to require a deposit. It is figured the same way as the initial deposit.
“Pay-Per-View Television” means digital cable television programming which is offered on a per-order basis. The programming is delivered over the telecommunications system on per-channel or per-program signals to subscribers for a fee or charge, in addition to the regular monthly fee for analog and digital cable television services.
“Premium channels” means the additional channels added to the basic cable TV service tier for which a separate price is charged.
“Pressure” means an expression of pounds per square inch above atmospheric pressure, i.e., gauge pressure (abbreviated “psig”)
“Service line” means a distribution line that transports a utility service from a common source of supply/service to a customer meter or the connection to a customer’s piping, whichever is farther downstream, or the connection to a customer’s piping if there is not a meter.
“Service rules” means the entire body of rules, procedures, and policies adopted by the City Council and on file for public inspection.
“Service” means any service, including the transmission of data, video and voice or any other service, whether originated by the Utility or any other person, which is offered to any subscriber in conjunction with, or distributed over the communications system.
“Set top box” means a digital signal converter which allows a customer to view digital cable television programming carried via a compressed digital signal to a standard television.
“T1” means a digital transmission link with a capacity of 1.544 Mbps (1,544,000 bits per second).
“Telecommunication services” means, for the purposes of this Code, an all-inclusive term to encompass telephone, Cable TV, and Internet services.
“Timely payment” means a payment on a customer’s account made on or before the date shown on a current bill for service, or on a form which records an agreement between the customer and the Utility for a series of partial payments to settle a delinquent account, as the date which determines application of a late payment charge to the current bill or future collection effort.
“Unsatisfactory payment history” means a payment record of the proposed account holder that:
Has had NSF checks or ACH reject notices in the last twelve months; or
Has received more than two disconnect notices of any utility service.
Has two or more late payments (past the bill due date) for any utility in the last twelve months;
“Utility” is interchangeable with definition of “City.”
“Utility service” means one of the following utility services offered by the City to the customer, to include but not limited to: Potable Water, Wastewater, Electric, Gas, Solid Waste, Telephone and Cable, and Internet.