What is Public Access TV?

Public Access TV is a non-commercial community alternative to the mainstream media. Public Access television centers provide ordinary people with the equipment and training needed to make their own television programs, and to have these programs shown on cable television. Public Access TV is based on the principle that everyone has a right to freedom of expression. In a world where the media plays such an important role, Public Access TV allows citizens to express this First Amendment right of free speech through the medium of television.

Freedom of Speech
The First Amendment of the US Constitution says that there shall be no law that prohibits “the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble”. This amendment is cornerstone of democracy, ensuring that people will always have the right to speak their mind, and to shape their own future. Public Access TV is a place where this principle is put into operation, ensuring that everyone has the right to speak and be heard.

History of Public Access TV
In 1972, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the first time described cable television as an “electronic soapbox” and guaranteed the right of communities to have access to media-making equipment and airtime. Under this FCC decision all cable television companies must put time aside for educational and Public Access TV. This decision was based on the recognition that cable television companies - or “cable television providers” as they are called, use “public-rights-of-way”. This means that their cables run under public streets, on highways and on other city property. Therefore, by using these public places, cable television companies must compensate the public by allowing the public to have television “access”. In 1979 the Supreme Court overruled this decision, saying that the FCC had no authority to mandate public access. However despite this loss of national recognition, many politicians, producers and communities have remained committed to Public Access TV. Today most “franchise” agreements (these are the agreements between cable television providers and the communities in which they operate) insist that money and resources must be put aside for Public Access TV.

What is a Public Access Center?
The Public Access Center is the facility responsible for administering the Public Access TV services in an area. This center will usually offer the public training in making television programs. This may include the operation of television studios or cameras for “on-location” productions, as well as training in editing and other skills. The Public Access Center will probably also have a “playback” facility where the programs are actually aired from, a tape-library where programs waiting to be aired are kept, and the technicians and support staff necessary to keep things running smoothly. Public Access Centers are usually not-for-profit organizations, and are independent of the cable television providers in the area. They usually do not assert editorial control over the programs which go on the air.

Funding for Public Access
Funding for Public Access comes from a variety of sources. The largest amount usually comes from the franchise-agreement between the cable television provider and the community in which it operates. This agreement basically says that if a company wants to operate in a particular community - and run its cables in public streets and buildings, it must give something back to the community. 

What is the future of Public Access?
Over three decades Public Access TV has provided an important service to communities across the country. Today it involves tens of thousands of ordinary people, who make millions of hours of creative, thoughtful and challenging community television every year. It is an important part of our culture, and our democratic process.
However it is under threat in a number of ways. Firstly, with the digital revolution people are getting their information in many more ways that in the past. People read newspapers on-line, and watch television on their computers. The companies and corporations offering these new ways of getting information are not mandated to set aside any time or space for the general public. Instead they argue that now there are so many channels of communication available that anyone can communicate – as long as people pay! Public Access TV’s commitment to free speech and democracy is deeper than that. The right to speak is everyone’s right, not just those who can afford it. As these new ways of communicating become available the public has a right to be included and to be guaranteed access to the channels of communication. A second threat is linked to de-regulation. In the past government regulation opposed media monopolies and insisted that the common good was best served when no one company or small cadre of companies could dominate the whole media arena. Deregulation is allowing great monopolies to emerge, and this limits the range of information the public gets and who it gets it from. De-regulation means the government is doing less and less to make sure the media serves the public interest. Public Access TV is an important place where a diversity of voices is maintained, but in a climate of de-regulation the future of Public Access TV is uncertain. The challenge is to ensure the fundamental democratic principle of free speech is part of the media landscape in the twenty-first century. 

Media Production
The media is everywhere. Every day we are bombarded by images, sounds, information and messages from the media: advertisements, billboards, posters, newspapers, television, radio and films. Each year it seems like there is new technology that quickly becomes part of our lives, like DVD players, IPods and fax machines. However, with this increased presence of media and technology, most people are consumers rather than producers of media and information. It is our belief that young people urgently need to develop media literacy tools and video production skills so that they can tell stories from their own perspectives; stories that are often not heard or silenced in the media and in schools.

This information was taken from documentation provided by the Manhattan Neighborhood Network.