KOCT-Your Community Channel-
has been providing programming for the Oceanside & North County community
for over 31 years. There are PEG (Public Education & Government) channels
in towns large and small all across this nation. Since 2005, PEG access
channels have suffered severe setbacks as a result of statewide franchising
laws. The historic recession took an additional toll and as a result
thousands of PEG channels have shut down over the past decade.
The
good news is that U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin & Edward Markey have
reintroduced the Community
Access Preservation (CAP) Act legislation to ensure public access to local
television programming.
The CAP Act amends the Cable Act
to ensure that PEG fees can be used for any purpose not just for capital
expenditures. (Many PEG channels have funding for equipment
but no funding for a staff to operate them!)
Other important elements of the
CAP Act are:
- Makes sure that cable operators transmit PEG channels without charge to the local government
- Makes sure that PEG channels are available on the Basic tier for service and available to all subscribers without the need for additional equipment.
- Allows communities to have the capabilities to transmit their programs in High Definition
- Allows communities to have the ability to submit programming guides just like all the other channels
We’ll keep you in the loop on
this important legislation and seek your help in contacting your local
Congressional and Senate representative in support of the CAP Act when it moves
a little further down the legislative road….
John Rocco, President of the American Community Television said
it best: “Now, more than ever, the CAP Act is
desperately needed. Our local community media is critical to the communities as
media continues to consolidate…the need for local Government transparency is at
an all-time high. We must protect and preserve this precious community resource
and make sure the local community is represented in the media landscape.”
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