Cracking the Case of the Disappearing Public Access Channels

Lindsey Sanders, May 11, 2011

When people think about funding cuts and public media, they usually think about NPR and PBS, but a recent report reveals that another vital community media source is perhaps even more threatened: Public, Educational and Governmental access stations, otherwise known as PEG stations.

There is now fresh data on the funding cuts and closures of PEG access cable channels throughout the country, thanks to a study released by the Buske Group and the Alliance for Communications Democracy in early April. The study compared the funding of PEG access centers over a five year period between 2005 and 2010, uncovering the rapid erosion of a vital local resource.

PEG access centers are funded by cable companies as part of their franchise agreement with the local municipality. In these agreements, the town negotiates with the cable company to create an arrangement that works for everyone: the cable company lands a profitable contract and the community gets to place certain demands, such as funding and distribution of PEG channels, broadband access for government offices and schools, and requirements that service is offered to the entire community, not just its wealthiest neighborhoods.

But as more telephone companies have been vying to compete with your cable provider, they’ve been pressuring lawmakers to replace the local franchise agreements with a one-size-fits-all agreement at the state level. The result? Disappearing funds for community media.

The study reveals that in over 100 communities from 14 states, PEG centers have become endangered or closed down entirely. Other centers have faced serious cuts, with an average funding drop of 40% annually. The cause for these funding cuts is largely state franchising laws, though local government decisions and cable franchise renewals have also contributed. The new state franchise laws in Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida and Georgia will completely discontinue PEG access funding by 2011 or 2012.

PEG is for Everyone

In accordance with the goals of the 1984 Cable Act, PEG channels provide a platform for public discourse, unite schools with the populous they serve and foster citizen participation. PEG channels are uniquely local, producing content by and for the people within their community. They provide resources and training so that anyone can stand up to the podium, pick up a megaphone or hit the stage. Celebrities such as Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira) and Tom Green saw their first break on PEG TV.

Perhaps most importantly, PEG access centers offer a voice to those who are traditionally marginalized and ignored in the mainstream media. Networks like TBCN in diverse Tampa Bay, Florida, are under fire. The cherished Chicago Access Network TV (CAN TV), with its long list of participant civil and community rights organizations, from Chicago’s Gay Liberation Network to its Haitian American Community Association, battles the local government, cable companies and the Federal Communications Commission every year to maintain its meager funds.

The majority of Americans still rely on local TV to get their news, and many do so because they lack computers or Internet access and are left no other alternative. If anything, PEG access centers must remain for those who truly use and depend on them.

When Community Resources Go, Everyone Suffers

As PEG centers close down, communities of color and low-income communities are left defenseless as the mainstream media hijacks their images and buries their stories. PEG channels must remain alongside the Internet in order to progress without leaving anyone behind.

PEG access centers are also vitally important in cases of major local events or emergencies. New York State Senator Jose Serrano noted in a 2008 PEG hearing that the average person might skim through public access TV until there is a local zoning decision [etc.] and then they’re “glued to it.”

The study concludes that hundreds more PEG access centers anticipate further cuts in the next three years. The Buske Group and Alliance for Communications Democracy study calls for corrective regulatory and legislative action to advance the First Amendment goals of the Cable Act.

What can you do? Contact your representatives at the state and local levels requesting a mandate for PEG access center funding. Better yet, support a bill designed to prevent discriminatory practices by cable operators and to ensure a level playing field for community voices in the increasingly consolidated cable industry. The bipartisan Community Access Preservation Act (HR 1746), co-sponsored by Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio), would strengthen PEG stations and community media centers around the country.