RULE VIOLATIONS / SANCTIONS / LOSS OF PRIVILEGES

To ensure that the community access equipment and facilities remain available and in good working order, the following rules have been established. Any access producer or staff member may report rule violations to the Executive Director. Upon verifying that a rule violation has occurred, the Executive Director will issue a written statement to the producer describing the rule violation and sanctions. Sanctions will become effective immediately upon receipt of this statement.

A. Rule Violations

1) Major Violations

a. Failure to submit a program produced with community access equipment and/or facilities for initial cablecast on a CTSCC channel;

b. Abuse or vandalism of equipment and facilities;

c. Return of equipment in damaged or unworkable con-dition, beyond normal wear and tear, or failure to return equipment through intent, negligence, loss or theft;

d. Use of equipment and facilities for a purpose not related to production of a program for community access cablecast;

e. Removal of equipment from the access center without proper check-out procedures and/or without signing an Check-Out Contract;

f. Reserving or checking out equipment or facilities for use by a non-certified producer or a producer on suspension;

1. Breach of any of the warranties of the Compliance Contract and Playback Request Form;

h. Failure to submit a signed Third Party Agreement before receiving payment for labor or production costs associated with a community access production in which CTSCC equipment and/or facilities were used;

1. Unauthorized attempted equipment maintenance or disassembly;

j. Smoking or use of alcohol or controlled substances

within any access facility;

k. A community producer who represents himself or herself as "staff";

l. Threatening and/or verbally abusing staff, volunteers, or users at the CTSCC facilities, including conduct or disruptive behavior such as yelling at, using profanity to, or attempting to intimidate staff, volunteers, or users, or deliberately sabotaging any project. Any behavior constituting sexual or other harassment as defined by CTSCC’s Prohibition of Harassment Policy will be included under this violation;

m. Submitting a program with potentially objectionable content without a viewer advisory;

n. Making changes to the lights in Studio A without certification or staff presence;

o. Using the ladder in Studio A without staff presence;

p. Appearing nude or semi-nude (genitals uncovered) in a public space at the CTSCC facilities;

1. Appearing, in the judgment of CTSCC staff, to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol;

r. Bringing animals (other than certified service animals) on CTSCC premises without the prior approval of the Executive Director or Assistant Director;

1. Removal of CTSCC equipment from the United States.;
2. Failure to have appropriate signed underwriting agreements in place prior to the telecast of any show with underwriting credits.

2) Minor Violations

a. Failure to cancel an equipment or facilities reservation prior to the reservation time;

b. Late return of equipment, without an extension authorized by a staff member;

c. Failure to vacate studio or editing facilities when the next scheduled producer has arrived;

d. Return of dirty equipment;

e. Leaving trash or debris in studio or editing facilities;

f. Operation of equipment or use of facilities in an incorrect, unsafe, or inappropriate manner that might result in damage, including leaving doors to the facility open or leaving props and/or furniture in inappropriate or unsafe places within the facility;

1. Improper packaging of equipment for transport;

h. Tardiness in excess of 30 minutes in claiming reserved equipment or facilities without an extension authorized by a staff member;

1. Reserving or checking out equipment for another producer unless specified and approved in advance;

j. Canceling equipment or facilities reservations, without providing at least 48 hours’ notice more than 3 times within a calendar month;

k. Misconduct (e.g., "horseplay," etc.) at CTSCC facility of a less serious nature than that defined in VI.A.1(l) above;

l. Removal of videotapes from the tape library or playback area that have been scheduled for cablecast without "signing-out" that tape on the log;

m. Unauthorized use of other producer’s props and equipment;

n. Non-approved self-sign up for equipment or facilities reservations;

o. Unauthorized equipment use by non-certified crew.

B. Sanctions

1) Major Violations

A major rule violation results in immediate suspension from use of equipment, facilities, and series time slots. If the Executive Director, in his or her discretion, determines that a major violation has occurred, the user shall be suspended for up to 90 days; upon review by the Board of Directors, the length of time of suspension may be modified. Where damage to or loss of equipment and/or facilities has occurred, suspension is in effect until full compensation is made or until an installment payment contract is signed with CTSCC. There are no written warnings prior to suspension in cases of major violations.

If, in the judgment of the Executive Director, the behavior of a member consistently impedes either CTSCC staff or members from carrying out the mission of CTSCC as described in the CTSCC Bylaws, the Executive Director may impose a 90-day suspension, subject to the appeal process described below in section D.

2) Minor Violations

Minor violations remain on record for twelve months. A minor violation will result in the following actions:

• Written warning for the first minor violation

• Final written warning for the second minor violation

• Suspension from equipment and facilities for the third minor violation

An initial suspension from equipment and facilities is for up to 90 days; subsequent suspensions are for up to one year each and require re-certification; upon review by the Board of Directors on a formal appeal, the length of time of suspension may be modified. Staff will file a written report on any suspension.

3) Limited Suspensions for Some Minor Violations

If a user receives three minor violations for the following two reasons only --

• failure to cancel an equipment or facilities reservation prior to the reservation time; or

• tardiness in excess of 30 minutes in claiming reserved equipment or facilities without an extension authorized by a staff member

such user would receive a suspension from limited equipment usage pertinent to the violation, instead of a complete suspension from the entire facility for 90 days. For example, edit reservation/ use violations would incur a sanction of a suspension from the edit bays but would allow user to continue to work on crews for studio productions, etc. Staff determines the appropriate suspension based upon the nature of the no-show minor violations.

C. Equipment Damage and Loss

If equipment is damaged or lost while under contract to an access producer, the producer will have equipment privileges suspended until full compensation is made or until an installment payment contract is signed with CTSCC; installment schedules will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will require a minimum monthly payment of $25. In the event that a producer fails to meet the terms of repayment, the producer shall be suspended from all equipment and facilities privileges; the case may be submitted to the Board of Directors of CTSCC on appeal.

D. Appeal of Sanctions

A member or user may appeal any sanctions by making a written state-ment to the Board of Directors Ad Hoc Appeal Committee. If suspension from equipment and facilities use is imposed, the suspension will remain in effect throughout the appeal process. When requested to do so by the Appeals Committee, the Executive Director will investigate the circumstances surrounding the sanction and will return a written report to the member or user and the Appeals Committee within two weeks. The member or user may continue the appeal process by submitting a written statement to the full Board of Directors within the next two weeks. The Board will consider the appeal at its next regularly scheduled meeting pursuant to Brown Act meeting notice requirements.

E. Expulsion from the Organization

If a member has been suspended from use of equipment and facilities due to major violations for a period of time totaling nine (9) or more months, upon recommendation by the Executive Director the Board of Directors by a majority vote may expel said member from the organization.