Supporting Independent and Non Commercial Media

Preserving and Expanding Public, Educational and Government (PEG) Cable Access   *      Expanding Low-Power FM Community Radio    *   Protecting Public Media   *   Community Broadband Ownership

Why This Matters

When Philadelphia public school students wanted to tell the world they felt “pushed out” rather than being “drop outs,” they used the public access television station, PhillyCAM, to gain access to the equipment, software, and training to create a video that told their story, and a cable channel to share it with their community. On Tribal lands where Native people have no access to broadband or even telephone lines in some cases, Native-owned radio stations impart vital information about community concerns, public safety, and help retain culture and tradition. 

This is the power of community media:  free of profit-driven, absent corporate owners, and free of advertisers who can influence content, these radio and television outlets are controlled by the local community, and operate in its service. 

Public broadcasters, such as local affiliates of NPR, PBS and APM, produce and air independent, groundbreaking artistic, educational and political content that commercial outlets wouldn’t touch, but that enrich our cultural lives, help us understand the world we live in, and form opinions about vital public policy issues.  

Our Values 

All people should have a means to tell their own stories, in their own voices, free of editors and gatekeepers.  Communities have a right to radio and television programming produced by independent creators that is original, challenging, controversial and that reflects the diversity of our nation.  Public and community media should be insulated from political and commercial interests, and be adequately funded so it can fulfill its obligations to local communities.   

Preserving and Expanding Public, Educational and Government (PEG) Cable Access 

Public, educational and government access channels do something no other television stations do:  they cover gavel-to-gavel government meetings, not just sound bites; air programming that helps students with homework even though it has no commercial value; and give community members – particularly those historically disenfranchised or misrepresented by mainstream media – access to top-quality equipment, software and training to make their own media, and share it with their community.  These stations exist because of a provision in federal cable laws that require video service providers give something back to the communities in exchange for using public rights of way.  But those provisions are under attack, and over 100 PEG stations have closed since 1997.  Learn more about the efforts to preserve and expand PEG.  

Expanding Low-Power FM Community Radio 

Low-power FM (LPFM) community radio stations are hyper local broadcast stations that serve an area as small as a neighborhood or school campus.  These stations are often rooted at community centers, schools, spiritual centers, and broadcast content as diverse as local music, news, religious services, and public safety.  Learn more.

Protecting Public Media 

In 1967 President Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act, which set aside public airwaves and federal funds for the creation of a national network of non- commercial media outlets that would broadcast programming that would educate, inform and entertain.  Through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, less than $1.45 per person of federal funds in the U.S. are allocated to public media such as National Public Radio (NPR), the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), as well as independent producers, Native radio, and other programs.  That funding is constantly under attack in Washington.  Learn more about public media.   

Community and Public Broadband Ownership 

Many community groups and local governments have been building their own broadband networks.  These networks are often more accountable to the community, responsive to local needs, offer quality broadband services at competitive rates, and help keep capital locally.  Learn more about community and public broadband ownership.