On the surface, there seems to be an unending number of media choices available to the public today.  Commercial broadcast and cable television, radio, newspapers, independent publications, and the Internet seem to fulfill all the needs for communication.  Yet a closer inspection of those media sources reveals that very little local information is readily available.  Commercial broadcast and cable television concentrate on international, national or state level news gathering, few locally focused radio stations exist, and not many communities (other than larger cities) have more than one daily newspaper or independent publications. 

Then you have the “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality that has come to dominate mainstream media today.  Add to that the growing concentration of media ownership which has come to be the norm in the past six or seven years.  At the local level, print and electronic media sources provide very limited time or space for local governments, schools, or civic and community groups to communicate their messages.  Before long, you begin to realize why Government (as well as Public and Educational) Access can be a such powerful and effective medium. 

For example: 

·        Government Access connects the community with the workings of local government.  By cablecasting information such as meetings, notices, maintenance schedules and job opportunities, Government Access can efficiently and rapidly inform citizens about local government activities. 

·        Government Access provides important local educational information.  Libraries, Police, Fire and Health Departments, Animal Shelters and Transit Authorities use Government Access to provide valuable information that contributes to the quality of citizens’ lives. 

·        Government Access creates citizen “buy in.”  New ideas and initiatives can be presented directly to citizens, and educational campaigns regarding initiatives or institutional change can be conducted to heighten citizen understanding.  By providing Government Access television in a community, elected and appointed representatives can speak directly to their constituents without the editorial misrepresentation or “spin” frequently added by commercial media outlets.   

·        Local government can use Government Access Television to prepare for or manage local disasters and emergencies.  Whether it is an earthquake, wildfires or snow storms, Government Access can play a pivotal role in keeping the public informed and safe.  The role of Government Access has become increasingly important as the need for Homeland Security and the training of First Responders has been heightened. 

·        Government Access, when combined with the equal availability of Public Access, increases democratic participation.  Government Access boosts citizen involvement by taking local government directly into their living rooms.  When combined with Public Access (which can provide for the conduct of candidates debates and forums and a healthy diversity of viewpoints), Government Access can dramatically increase local participation in the democratic process. 

·        Government Access is the “gateway” to effective e-government.  For citizens to understand how to use e-government or what may be available to them through it, Government Access television plays an important role as a facilitator and frequently a portal.  The tools that are used today to create the content, information and programming for delivery on a cable system are evolving rapidly, as is the form that such content can take.  For that reason, it is important to realize that Government Access is not just “TV.”  It is vital electronic link that can help citizens obtain information about their government and its services.   

We’ve explained why Government Access is needed.  A few of the ways that Government Access can contribute to the community have been mentioned.  But it is important to describe how to make effective Government Access a reality in a community.  The approaches to establishing such a Government Access operation are as varied as the communities in which we live.  However, here are a few primary things to remember:   

·        Government Access Channel Capacity/Spectrum.  This must be spelled out in the franchise agreement.  Remember to accommodate the evolution in technology during the next 10 years.  Ensure that the franchise permits the jurisdiction to use its Government Access spectrum for the delivery of content in whatever form (video, data, or voice) that content may take. 

·        An Entity to Manage the Government Access Channel.  In many communities, a local government department manages the Government Access channel(s).  However, particularly in mid-sized and smaller communities, Public, Educational and Government Access is often managed by a nonprofit corporation established specifically for that purpose.  Either approach to Government Access management can work, as long as the funding is adequate and the responsibilities of the management entity are clearly defined. 

·        Funding for Government Access Equipment and Operations. Earmarking a portion of the franchise fees received from the cable operator can provide this.  All too frequently, franchise fees go directly into the general fund.  This can be a critical error, because extracting money from the general fund is always problematic.  It is much better to have funding pass directly from the City to the Access entity, with that entity having its own City account.  Having the franchise fees or a portion of them placed in something like an enterprise fund (separate from the general fund) allows these funds to be used only for cable-related purposes.  This may seem like heresy in an age of tight government budgets.  However, if a local government really wants to more effectively communicate with the public and to quiet those who are always critical of local government, a reasonable level of funding must be available to do so.  In the case of cable, there is a direct revenue source, which can be tapped to fund government (as well as public and educational) uses of the electronic media.  In addition, equipment funding for Government Access might also come from the cable operator as a franchise obligation that is over and above the franchise fee. 

Government Access has evolved over the past 30 years from using a "portapak” (a portable recorder that used ½-inch, black-and-white, open reel videotapes) to record and playback a meeting to a world of LANS, WANS, I-NETS, websites, digital video, remote-controlled council chambers video systems, and streaming City Council meetings on the Internet.  We can only guess what Government Access will look like in another 30 years!

LINKS:
Government Access TV Institute (GATV) - This web site has some great introductory
materials for government access including  FAQ, a videotape that you can purchase,
an on-line version of “Creating A Government Access Channel” and sample documents,
forms, guidelines and job descriptions. 

	back to NATOA Journal
	1. Why Government Access? by Sue Buske and Bunnie Riedel
	2. I didn't know you did that: services to make your operation indispensable by Brad Clark
	3. Is anyone watching? by Robin Gee with David Korte
	4. Generating Revenue for your government access channel by Nancy Johnson
	5. Is Commercial Speech Permitted on Government Access Channels? by Neil Lehto
	6. Implementing Captioning on your government access channel by Darren Doerschel
	7. Spanish language programming for PEG channels by Ramon Torres
	8. DC's VOD by Darryl Anderson and Dan Westman
	9. Civic Media Build Social Capital: The Ethics of Government Access in the Marketplace of Ideas by Sean McLaughlin