MAP Pushes to Improve Cable Access for Independent Programmers
Posted: Monday September 10, 2007
On behalf of a diverse coalition of artist, media reform, religious, and public interest groups, including the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture, Media Access Project filed comments urging the Commission to reform its cable leased access program and provide independent programmers a legitimate opportunity to reach cable viewers. Through stonewalling, price gouging and other means, cable operators have discouraged use of the cable leased access program, stifling what was supposed to be a meaningful outlet for diverse, local, ethnic, and regional programming. The program changes MAP is proposing include:
- Adopting rules that make the leased access process more transparent, affordable, and easy to use, including modification of rates to reflect real costs rather than hypothetical costs, elimination of extraneous fees, and the creation of price sheets available in public files and on request.
- Allowing programmers to select the tier of their choice and to be secure in their channel placement and have access to new technologies such as video guides and DVR’s.
- Reforming the Commission’s access complaint and carriage complaint process including making arbitration available, permitting discovery, imposing a time limit for making decisions, and imposing significant forfeitures on cable operators who repeatedly fail to comply with leased access regulations.
Read the comments