{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/56-484.7_1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/56-484.7_1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/56-484.7_1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/56-484.7_1.html"}],"law_id":60584,"edition_id":1,"section_id":60584,"structure_id":15755,"section_number":"56-484.7:1","catch_line":"Offering of communications services","history":"1999, c. 916; 2002, cc. 479, 489; 2003, cc. 677, 711.","full_text":"A\n\nA county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority, other than one in a locality that (i) is eligible to provide telecommunications services pursuant to § 15.2-2160 and (ii) has a population in excess of 30,000, may offer qualifying communications services, or enter into public-private partnerships to offer such qualifying communications services, in accordance with the provisions of this article. For purposes of this article, a “qualifying communications service” is a communications service, which shall include but is not limited to, high-speed data service and Internet access service, of general application, but excluding any cable television or other multi-channel video programming services. The county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority shall demonstrate in its petition that the qualifying communications services do not meet the standard set forth in § 56-484.7:2 within the geographic area specified in the petition. No such services shall be offered unless, prior to offering such services: (i) the county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority or economic development authority petitions the Commission to approve the offering of such qualifying communications services within a specified geographic area and (ii) the Commission, after notice and an opportunity for hearing in the affected area, issues a written order approving the petition or fails to approve or disapprove the petition within 60 days after notice. The 60-day period may be extended by Commission order for a period not to exceed an additional 60 days. The petition shall be deemed approved if the Commission fails to act within 60 days after notice or any extended period ordered by the Commission.B\n\nEach county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority that provides communications services pursuant to this article shall provide nondiscriminatory access to for-profit providers of communications services on a first-come, first-served basis to rights-of-way, poles, conduits or other permanent distribution facilities owned, leased or operated by the county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority unless the facilities have insufficient capacity for such access and additional capacity cannot reasonably be added to the facilities.C\n\nThe prices charged by a county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority for providing communications services shall not be set at a price for the service lower than the prices charged by any incumbent provider for a functionally equivalent service that is as generally available from such incumbent as it is from such governmental entity.D\n\nNo county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority providing such qualifying communications services shall acquire by eminent domain the facilities or other property of any communications service provider to offer cable, telephone, data transmission or other information or online programming services.E\n\nThe Commission may promulgate rules necessary to implement this section.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":221461,"text":"A county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority, other than one in a locality that (i) is eligible to provide telecommunications services pursuant to § 15.2-2160 and (ii) has a population in excess of 30,000, may offer qualifying communications services, or enter into public-private partnerships to offer such qualifying communications services, in accordance with the provisions of this article. For purposes of this article, a “qualifying communications service” is a communications service, which shall include but is not limited to, high-speed data service and Internet access service, of general application, but excluding any cable television or other multi-channel video programming services. The county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority shall demonstrate in its petition that the qualifying communications services do not meet the standard set forth in § 56-484.7:2 within the geographic area specified in the petition. No such services shall be offered unless, prior to offering such services: (i) the county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority or economic development authority petitions the Commission to approve the offering of such qualifying communications services within a specified geographic area and (ii) the Commission, after notice and an opportunity for hearing in the affected area, issues a written order approving the petition or fails to approve or disapprove the petition within 60 days after notice. The 60-day period may be extended by Commission order for a period not to exceed an additional 60 days. The petition shall be deemed approved if the Commission fails to act within 60 days after notice or any extended period ordered by the Commission.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":221462,"text":"Each county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority that provides communications services pursuant to this article shall provide nondiscriminatory access to for-profit providers of communications services on a first-come, first-served basis to rights-of-way, poles, conduits or other permanent distribution facilities owned, leased or operated by the county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority unless the facilities have insufficient capacity for such access and additional capacity cannot reasonably be added to the facilities.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":221463,"text":"The prices charged by a county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority for providing communications services shall not be set at a price for the service lower than the prices charged by any incumbent provider for a functionally equivalent service that is as generally available from such incumbent as it is from such governmental entity.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":221464,"text":"No county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority providing such qualifying communications services shall acquire by eminent domain the facilities or other property of any communications service provider to offer cable, telephone, data transmission or other information or online programming services.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C","next_prefix":"E"},"4":{"id":221465,"text":"The Commission may promulgate rules necessary to implement this section.","type":"section","prefixes":["E"],"prefix":"E","entire_prefix":"E","prefix_anchor":"E","level":1,"prior_prefix":"D"}},"ancestry":[{"id":15755,"edition_id":1,"name":"Provision of Certain Communications Services","identifier":"5.1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13123,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:59:01","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:59:01","permalink":{"id":249999,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15755,"identifier":"5.1","token":"56\/15\/5.1","url":"\/56\/15\/5.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13123,"edition_id":1,"name":"Telegraph and Telephone Companies","identifier":"15","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12881,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:19","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:19","permalink":{"id":249827,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13123,"identifier":"15","token":"56\/15","url":"\/56\/15\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12881,"edition_id":1,"name":"Public Service Companies","identifier":"56","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","permalink":{"id":248473,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12881,"identifier":"56","token":"56","url":"\/56\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":60584,"structure_id":15755,"section_number":"56-484.7:1","catch_line":"Offering of communications services","url":"\/56-484.7_1\/","token":"56\/15\/5.1\/56-484.7_1","metadata":false},{"id":84607,"structure_id":15755,"section_number":"56-484.7:2","catch_line":"Approval","url":"\/56-484.7_2\/","token":"56\/15\/5.1\/56-484.7_2","metadata":false},{"id":70967,"structure_id":15755,"section_number":"56-484.7:3","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-484.7_3\/","token":"56\/15\/5.1\/56-484.7_3","metadata":false},{"id":62050,"structure_id":15755,"section_number":"56-484.7:4","catch_line":"Revocation of Commission approval","url":"\/56-484.7_4\/","token":"56\/15\/5.1\/56-484.7_4","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":84607,"structure_id":15755,"section_number":"56-484.7:2","catch_line":"Approval","url":"\/56-484.7_2\/","token":"56\/15\/5.1\/56-484.7_2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/56-484.7:1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1999. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 916<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 2002, chapters 479<\/a> and 489<\/a>; in 2003, chapters 677<\/a> and 711<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":71801,"section_number":"15.2-1500","catch_line":"Organization of local government","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-1500\/"},{"id":56562,"section_number":"15.2-2160","catch_line":"Provision of telecommunications services","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-2160\/"},{"id":58403,"section_number":"15.2-5431.2","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-5431.2\/"},{"id":78387,"section_number":"15.2-5431.35","catch_line":"Powers of localities to make grants and conveyances to and contracts with authority","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-5431.35\/"},{"id":73930,"section_number":"15.2-5431.4","catch_line":"Resolution creating authority to include articles of incorporation","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-5431.4\/"},{"id":59772,"section_number":"2.2-3705.6","catch_line":"Exclusions to application of chapter; proprietary records and trade secrets","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-3705.6\/"},{"id":55844,"section_number":"56-235.5","catch_line":"Telephone regulatory alternatives","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-235.5\/"},{"id":55350,"section_number":"56-265.4:4","catch_line":"Certificate to operate as a telephone utility","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-265.4_4\/"},{"id":84607,"section_number":"56-484.7:2","catch_line":"Approval","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-484.7_2\/"},{"id":62050,"section_number":"56-484.7:4","catch_line":"Revocation of Commission approval","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-484.7_4\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":56562,"section_number":"15.2-2160","catch_line":"Provision of telecommunications services","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-2160\/"},{"id":84607,"section_number":"56-484.7:2","catch_line":"Approval","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-484.7_2\/"}],"permalink":{"id":250001,"object_type":"law","relational_id":60584,"identifier":"56-484.7:1","token":"56\/15\/5.1\/56-484.7_1","url":"\/56-484.7_1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/56-484.7_1\/","token":"56\/15\/5.1\/56-484.7_1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Offering of communications services","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 56-484.7:1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> A county, city, town, electric commission<\/span> or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority, other than one in a locality that (i) is eligible to provide telecommunications services pursuant to § 15.2-2160<\/a> and (ii) has a population in excess of 30,000, may offer qualifying communications services<\/span>, or enter into public-private partnerships to offer such qualifying communications services<\/span>, in accordance with the provisions of this article. For purposes of this article, a “qualifying communications service<\/span>” is a communications service, which shall include but is not limited to, high-speed data service and Internet access service, of general application, but excluding any cable television or other multi-channel video programming services. The county, city, town, electric commission<\/span> or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority shall demonstrate in its petition<\/span> that the qualifying communications services<\/span> do not meet the standard set forth in § 56-484.7:2<\/a> within the geographic area specified in the petition<\/span>. No such services shall be offered unless, prior to offering such services: (i) the county, city, town, electric commission<\/span> or board, industrial development authority or economic development authority petitions<\/span> the Commission<\/span> to approve the offering of such qualifying communications services<\/span> within a specified geographic area and (ii) the Commission<\/span>, after notice and an opportunity for hearing<\/span> in the affected area, issues<\/span> a written order<\/span> approving the petition<\/span> or fails to approve or disapprove the petition<\/span> within 60 days after notice. The 60-day period may be extended by Commission<\/span> order<\/span> for a period not to exceed an additional 60 days. The petition<\/span> shall be deemed approved if the Commission<\/span> fails to act within 60 days after notice or any extended period ordered by the Commission<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Each county, city, town, electric commission<\/span> or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority that provides communications services pursuant to this article shall provide nondiscriminatory access to for-profit providers of communications services on a first-come, first-served basis to rights-of-way, poles, conduits or other permanent distribution facilities owned, leased or operated by the county, city, town, electric commission<\/span> or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority unless the facilities have insufficient capacity for such access and additional capacity cannot reasonably be added to the facilities. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> The prices charged by a county, city, town, electric commission<\/span> or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority for providing communications services shall not be set at a price for the service lower than the prices charged by any incumbent provider for a functionally equivalent service that is as generally available from such incumbent as it is from such governmental entity. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> No county, city, town, electric commission<\/span> or board, industrial development authority, or economic development authority providing such qualifying communications services<\/span> shall acquire by eminent domain the facilities or other property of any communications service provider to offer cable, telephone, data transmission or other information or online programming services. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

E.<\/span> The Commission<\/span> may promulgate rules necessary to implement this section. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nOFFERING OF COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES (\u00a7 56-484.7:1)\n\nA. A county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development\nauthority, or economic development authority, other than one in a locality that\n(i) is eligible to provide telecommunications services pursuant to §\n15.2-2160 and (ii) has a population in excess of 30,000, may offer qualifying\ncommunications services, or enter into public-private partnerships to offer such\nqualifying communications services, in accordance with the provisions of this\narticle. For purposes of this article, a “qualifying communications\nservice” is a communications service, which shall include but is not\nlimited to, high-speed data service and Internet access service, of general\napplication, but excluding any cable television or other multi-channel video\nprogramming services. The county, city, town, electric commission or board,\nindustrial development authority, or economic development authority shall\ndemonstrate in its petition that the qualifying communications services do not\nmeet the standard set forth in § 56-484.7:2 within the geographic area\nspecified in the petition. No such services shall be offered unless, prior to\noffering such services: (i) the county, city, town, electric commission or\nboard, industrial development authority or economic development authority\npetitions the Commission to approve the offering of such qualifying\ncommunications services within a specified geographic area and (ii) the\nCommission, after notice and an opportunity for hearing in the affected area,\nissues a written order approving the petition or fails to approve or disapprove\nthe petition within 60 days after notice. The 60-day period may be extended by\nCommission order for a period not to exceed an additional 60 days. The petition\nshall be deemed approved if the Commission fails to act within 60 days after\nnotice or any extended period ordered by the Commission.\n\nB. Each county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development\nauthority, or economic development authority that provides communications\nservices pursuant to this article shall provide nondiscriminatory access to\nfor-profit providers of communications services on a first-come, first-served\nbasis to rights-of-way, poles, conduits or other permanent distribution\nfacilities owned, leased or operated by the county, city, town, electric\ncommission or board, industrial development authority, or economic development\nauthority unless the facilities have insufficient capacity for such access and\nadditional capacity cannot reasonably be added to the facilities.\n\nC. The prices charged by a county, city, town, electric commission or board,\nindustrial development authority, or economic development authority for\nproviding communications services shall not be set at a price for the service\nlower than the prices charged by any incumbent provider for a functionally\nequivalent service that is as generally available from such incumbent as it is\nfrom such governmental entity.\n\nD. No county, city, town, electric commission or board, industrial development\nauthority, or economic development authority providing such qualifying\ncommunications services shall acquire by eminent domain the facilities or other\nproperty of any communications service provider to offer cable, telephone, data\ntransmission or other information or online programming services.\n\nE. The Commission may promulgate rules necessary to implement this section.\n\nHISTORY: 1999, c. 916; 2002, cc. 479, 489; 2003, cc. 677, 711.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}