Community Media Outlets Under Attack In The States

[Commentary] More than 3,000 Public, Educational and Government access (PEG) channels across the nation provide a vital platform for community-produced video from full coverage of local town halls, to student-produced shows about topics that matter to their campus, to city council meetings and debates.

PEG stations feature programming that may not be considered commercially profitable, or may be considered too “local” for news outlets that serve millions of viewers or readers, or too controversial for giving voice to political views not considered mainstream. But the programming on these stations is critical in creating an engaged, informed and active community. Unfortunately, PEG stations are under attack in states across the nation. At the urging of cable and phone companies, more than 17 states passed legislation in recent years that strip their municipalities of the right to negotiate franchising agreements that led to the creation of PEG stations. According to a recent report by the Alliance for Community Media, these state laws have devastated community media stations across the country. 20% of the stations surveyed in those states reported funding decreases that have led to cuts in service. Respondents from 17 communities in 8 different states report loss of PEG facilities. Comcast used state franchise law as the excuse to close all of its PEG facilities in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan in September of 2007. This is despite very healthy profits from major telecommunications companies like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon, even during the recession. PEG stations that survived have also reported being mistreated by the cable providers, such as by making it difficult for viewers to find the channels and access the programming.

Where is the public benefit in state legislation that weakens consumer protections, threatens community programming, does nothing to lower cable rates or improve customer service?

Federal legislation will soon be re-introduced in the 112th Congress to address some of the mistreatment of PEG stations by video service providers, and state legislators can help by urging their federal Representatives to co-sponsor the bill, the Community Access Preservation Act. State legislators should also consider taking a second look at existing state video franchising legislation, and propose changes to the laws to un-do the harm to PEG stations. Finally, state legislators should look closely at any bills that purport to create “competition” in the video marketplace, but that actually just strip communities of important consumer protections and opportunities for freedom of expression.