Changes to law and technology are hurting public, educational and...
Changes to law and technology are hurting public, educational and governmental (PEG) cable channels, the Congressional Research Service said in an Oct. 7 report released Wednesday by American Community Television. “More than 100 PEG access centers … have closed since…
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2005, and many more may close when provisions in recently enacted state laws that eliminate requirements for cable companies to provide funding support take effect,” CRS said. The FCC also has adopted rules “that may limit the amount of PEG financial support for non-capital costs that local franchise authorities can require of cable providers,” CRS said. “Driven by technological changes, some cable operators have begun to offer PEG channels in a fashion that may reduce consumer access to, and the quality of, those channels, and may raise consumer costs to obtain PEG channels,” said CRS, citing the AT&T U-Verse service. ACT President John Rocco said the CRS report shows that “PEG access television has been under attack and is in desperate need of a Congressional fix.” ACT urged passage of the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act (HR-1745), which would allow local governments in states that pass franchise laws to require cable companies to provide PEG support.