TVDM 31200: Media Law
Search Advice
Search Terms:
PEG, Public, Educational, and Government channels, Government Access Channels, Public Access
Community Television, Community TV, American Community Media, Local Media, Community Media, specific stations such as: PhillyCAM
Cable Television, Cable Franchise Fees, Franchising Authority
Alerts:
Sign up for the Broadcasting & Cable SmartBrief for aggregated news via email
Note: a lot of trade associations and news outlets have shifted to covering streaming media in addition to cable
About PEG
Federal Communications Commission:
Wikipedia: Public-Access Television. ; Communications Policy Act of 1984
EverybodyWiki: List of Public Access TV Stations in the United States (this page used data from the Alliance for Community Media, below -- also try going to the ACM Membership > Directory tab for the most current information; you can search by zip code)
- Public, Educational, and Governmental Access Channels (PEG)Definition and description from the FCC.
- Alliance for Community MediaFounded in 1976, the Alliance represents over 3,000 Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) access organizations and community media center throughout the country. The ACM works to protect the interests of these access centers and those who use PEG facilities and equipment to advance their causes through cable television and the Internet.
74 Am Jur 2d Telecommunications § 172 (2021). Entry on Access Channels in American Jurisprudence, a legal encyclopedia
Public Access Television by
As Laura Linder asserts, increased concentration of media ownership has resulted in the homogenization of public discourse. Packaged, commercialized messages have replaced the personalized and localized opinions necessary for the uninhibited marketplace of ideas envisioned in the First Amendment. Narrowcast outlets such as talk radio give vent to individual voices, but only to a limited, predefined audience. The media have led a social shift toward splintering and compartmentalization, away from pluralism and consensus. Public access television provides an alternative to this trend, requiring active public participation in the process of developing community-based programming through the dominant medium of television. Today, more than 2,000 public access television centers exist in the United States, producing more than 10,000 hours of original, local programming every week. But public access television remains underutilized, even as deregulation and growing interest in other telecommunications delivery systems pose a potential threat to the long-term viability of public access television. In this comprehensive review of the background and development of public access television, Linder offers all the information needed to understand the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings as well as the nuts and bolts of public access television in the United States. Must reading for students and scholars involved with mass media in the United States and professionals in the television field.
Call Number: General Stacks HE8700.72.U6 L56 1999ISBN: 0275964884Publication Date: 1999
Ithaca Pegasys
- ICTVICTV is IC’s student-operated television production organization serving 26,000 Tompkins County cable households with a variety of community-oriented programming. It is operated by and housed in the Roy H. Park School of Communications. Participants are volunteers, and IC students in any major are encouraged to work on the production teams, which are student-managed. (website)
- City of Ithaca, NY, Tompkins CountyCharter and Code of the City of Ithaca, NY.
Chapter 18. Cable Access Oversight Committee
- Cable Access Oversight CommitteeCity of Ithaca.
You can browse the meeting minutes. For example, here are the minutes from the meeting of April 6, 2021 at 5 pm
- New York State Department of Public ServiceLink to the Telecommunications page.
see: Cable Franchise -- Franchise Fee
6. The Franchise Fee and PEG Access Support.
Under federal law, the company may deduct the amount it pays to provide operational support for PEG access from its franchise fee payment to the municipality, if such operational support is required by the terms of the franchise agreement. Support in the form of underwriting capital costs may not be deducted from the franchise fee, but may be included in the calculation of the basic monthly subscriber rate.
- New York State Legislature: Bills and LawsSearch bill text, status, summaries, sponsor memos, and floor vote. Links to search for NYS Legislative Bills, NYS Legislative Resolutions, and the Laws of New York (see also: Nexis Uni for Federal & State Codes - NY Consolidated Law Service).
Laws of NY: see: Public Service Law § 119-B Article 11: Provisions relating to Cable Television Companies. § 215 See:
(b) prescribe minimum standards for inclusion in franchises, including maximum initial and renewal terms; minimum channel capacity; provisions regarding access to, and facilities to make use of, channels for education and public service programs
Government Documents
- GovInfoPortal to documents from the Government Publishing Office (budget, bills, hearings, Constitution, US Code, etc.). Formerly: FDsys, GPO Access
47 U.S.C. V-A Cable Communications. click on the PDF or Text in the left menu to access. See: §531. Cable channels for public, educational, or governmental use. §622 concerns franchise fees
- Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)Codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. The 50 subject matter titles contain one or more individual volumes, which are updated once each calendar year, on a staggered basis. Each title is divided into chapters, which usually bear the name of the issuing agency. Each chapter is further subdivided into parts that cover specific regulatory areas.
e-CFR (Code of Federal Regulations): Title 47 - Chapter 1 -- Subchapter C - Part 76. Multichannel Video and Cable Television Service
Includes: §76.41 Franchise application process.
- Regulations.govFind and comment on Federal administrative regulations
- Congress.govFind the status and history of bills in the current or prior legislature of Congress. Includes Committee Reports, Roll Call votes, Public Laws, U.S. Code, Congressional Record, etc.
Congress.gov: Search: community television
Note: I know to use community television as a search term a it was referred to in an article in the trade publication B&C
- Federal Communication Commission (FCC)The Federal Communications Commission regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. An independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress, the Commission is the federal agency responsible for implementing and enforcing America’s communications law and regulations. (Mission)
- EveryCRSreport.comPosts reports by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan think tank for Congress that analyzes topics of public debate.
Cable
Cable Companies
- ComcastCable brand: Xfinity. Cable channels: MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, Syfy, NBCSN, Oxygen, Bravo, E!, etc. Film studio: Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, & streaming platform Peacock. NASDAQ: CMSA
- Charter CommunicationsCable brand: Spectrum. NASDAQ: CHTR
- Cox EnterprisesCable brand: Cox Communications. It is the largest private broadband company.
- Mediacom CommunicationsCable brand: Xstream. Private.
- Sparklight (Cable One)Cable brand: SparkLight. NYSE: CABO
Library Databases
- Library Search: Advanced SearchChange the "Any Field" drop-down to Title to search by title. Under "Tweak my results" in the right menu, limit to "Library Catalog" to find books and videos available in the library.
Library Search 1: Search for Material type: books. and "public access television"
Library Search 2: Search for Material type: articles and "public access television" OR "community television" OR "community tv" OR "PEG television"
- Statista
Subjects are geared towards business and marketing statistical needs, and include consumer goods, media, politics, sports, travel, and technology.
Contents: Statistical information, data, infographics, and tables.
Statista Dossier: Cable TV in the US
- Ebook Central (ProQuest)
Contains over 180,000 ebooks in nearly all disciplines including business, education, sciences, technology, law, and medicine.
Contents: Ebooks.
Need search tips? See our Guide for more information.
Ebook Central search: "public access television"
- Nexis Uni (LexisNexis)
Contents: Full-text local, national, and international newspaper articles and legal resources.
Need search tips? See our guides for tips on Legal Searching and News Searching.
Nexis Uni Law Review search: (PEG or "public access television" or "community television") and cable
Nexis Uni search in Hoover's for: Charter Communications, Inc.
- EBSCO Research Library
Search across all of our EBSCO subscriptions for full-text articles and abstracts in almost every discipline.
EBSCO search: "public access television" as a subject
- Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
Contents: Abstracts and some full-text of scholarly working papers and forthcoming papers in the social sciences.
SSRN: "public access television". -- one paper
- ABI/INFORM Collection (ProQuest)
This collection, comprised of ABI/INFORM Global, Trade & Industry, and Dateline, contains resources covering accounting, marketing, sports and business, and economics.
Contents: Full-text articles, dissertations, working papers, periodicals, country- and industry-focused reports, case studies, and market information.
- NetAdvantage (S&P)
From Standard & Poor's, this database contains financial information for US and global companies, including current and past stock prices, annual reports, SEC and Canadian SEDAR filings, industry surveys, and other information for business research and analysis.
Note: For an overview of the database, please see our video.
General Resources
- Broadcasting & CableIndustry news.
- C-SPANNon-profit corporation funded by cable and satellite affiliates that provides public access to daily political events such as congressional debates.
- The Communicators (C-SPAN)Half-hour conversations with the leaders who shape our digital future. Subscribe to Podcasts, too.
- NCTATrade Association. Internet & Television Association (formerly the National Cable and Telecommunications Association),
- Video Advertising Bureau (VAB)The VAB’s mission is to provide marketers with industry-defining data, actionable thought leadership and planning tools to navigate and optimize the ever-expanding world of premium multiscreen video content.
