12.080 Manitowoc Municipal Communications Utility.

(1) Creation. There is hereby created pursuant to Wis. Stat. Chs. 62 and 66, and without limitation Wis. Stat. § 62.11(5), a Municipal Communications Utility within the City of Manitowoc. The Manitowoc Public Utilities Commission shall manage and operate the Municipal Communications Utility of the City.

(2) Determination of Public Interest and Economic Development. The City finds that a municipal communication system will provide public benefits of continued growth and economic development for the City and is in the best interest of the City. The City finds that a City-owned municipal communications system is in the public interest for facilitating the provision of telecommunications, data, wireless, fiber optic, Internet, cable television, video and information services to the City, its departments, the school district and the general public within the City.

(3) Generally. The Commission shall take entire charge and management of the Communications Utility and shall have full authority to supervise the operation of this utility subject to the general control and supervision of the Common Council, which shall be exercised through the enactment and amendment of this section.

(4) Commission’s Duties – Communications Utility. Subject to the powers set forth in MMC 12.030 and limitations in MMC 12.050, the Commission shall be responsible to plan, acquire, construct, extend, improve, maintain, operate, lease, dispose of, regulate and manage a communication system to be constructed within the City in order to provide, among other things, telecommunications, data, wireless, fiber optic, Internet, cable television, video and information services.

(5) Validity. Should any section, clause or provision of this section be declared by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the same shall not affect the validity of the ordinance as a whole or any part thereof, other than that part so declared to be invalid.

[Prior code § 12.08]