Sens Baldwin and Markey Preserve Public Access to Local Television Channels, Ensure Diversity of Programming

US Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) have reintroduced the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act, legislation to ensure public access to local television programming. “The 80-plus public, educational, and governmental access channels in the state of Wisconsin deliver invaluable public programming on a daily basis, commercial free and with the sole purpose of informing and educating our communities,” said Sen Baldwin. “As local budgets tighten and television delivery methods change, we must ensure that our local public access channels are able to continue to reflect local interests and bring diverse programming to the public.” "Across Massachusetts and the country, PEG access station serve as televised town squares where local citizens see and hear what is happening in their own community and can respond with their own voices,” said Sen Markey. “We must ensure that the goals of education and participation embodied by these TV channels are supported and Americans continue to benefit from their presence in their living rooms.”

There are over 2,000 public, educational, and governmental (PEG) studios/operations and an estimated 5,000 PEG channels in America. In a time of media consolidation, these local, non-commercial access channels bring unique voices, perspectives, and programming to communities. They connect residents with their local governments in much the same way C-SPAN connects constituents to activities in Congress. Local school districts operate PEG channels to feature school board meetings and forums, homework helpers, interviews, lectures, and sporting events not otherwise broadcast on television. Religious programming represents 30 percent of local access programming. Tens of thousands of hours of programming is produced by veterans, seniors, the disabled and ethnic, minority and second language groups.