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Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG)
Access Cable Television Channels:
Issues for Congress
Charles B. Goldfarb
Specialist in Telecommunications Policy
October 7, 2011
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R42044
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress
c11173008
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Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Access Cable Television Channels
Summary
The environment for public, educational, and governmental (PEG) cable channels is being roiled
by public policy and budgetary changes at the federal, state, and local levels and by technological
changes in cable networks. More than 100 PEG access centers—which provide community
groups and individuals free access to video production facilities and equipment, training, and
programming time—have closed since 2005, and many more may close when provisions in
recently enacted state laws that eliminate requirements for cable companies to provide funding
support take effect. Many PEG access centers, however, continue to have stable funding sources.
When awarding franchises for the use of public rights of way to offer cable television service,
many local jurisdictions required the cable companies to set aside some of their channel capacity
for PEG use and to provide financial support for those PEG access channels. Those channels are
not mandated by federal law. But the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 amended the
Communications Act to explicitly allow franchising authorities to require cable operators to set
aside channel capacity for PEG use and to provide adequate facilities or financial support for
those channels. These PEG provisions have been a primary vehicle for fostering in cable systems
the long-standing U.S. media policy goal of localism.
Several recent developments are affecting the amount of financial support from cable providers
and local governments for the PEG channels. In recent years, 20 states have enacted laws
allowing cable systems to obtain statewide franchises. Some of these laws have abrogated or
phased out PEG-related provisions in local franchise agreements requiring the franchisees to set
aside channels, provide financial support, or provide studio facilities. In addition, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted rules that may limit the amount of PEG
financial support for non-capital costs that local franchise authorities can require of cable
providers. Also, some local jurisdictions that have funded PEG operations are now facing budget
deficits that are leading them to reduce or eliminate their PEG funding.
Driven by technological changes, some cable operators have begun to offer PEG channels in a
fashion that may reduce consumer access to, and the quality of, those channels, and may raise
consumer costs to obtain PEG channels. As traditional cable providers are migrating from analog
to digital transmission of programming, some subscribers must obtain set-top boxes to receive
PEG programming. AT&T’s U-verse service uses a different platform for PEG channels than for
commercial channels. It is more difficult for subscribers, especially the visually impaired, to
access the PEG channels, and PEG programming cannot be recorded on a DVR, leading some to
claim the service does not meet requirements in franchise agreements or in the Communications
Act. AT&T responds that it meets all requirements and it is inappropriate to require it to deploy its
network inefficiently to meet rules developed for traditional cable architecture.
The Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act (H.R. 1746) would allow local jurisdictions in
states that pass state franchise laws to require cable companies to provide PEG support equal to
the greater of the amount required under the state law, the historical support required prior to
enactment of the state law, or 2% of the gross cable revenues of the cable operator. That PEG
support would not be included in the statutory cap on franchise fees of 5% of revenues. The bill
would prohibit cable operators from charging subscribers for set-top boxes needed to receive
PEG channels that are migrated from analog to digital tiers. The cable industry opposes the bill,
claiming it would raise costs and rates and place cable operators at a competitive disadvantage
with satellite television operators.
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Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Access Cable Television Channels
Contents
Overview: The Environment Today................................................................................................. 1
Reductions in PEG Funding ...................................................................................................... 2
Changes in Cable Network Technologies and Architectures..................................................... 5
PEG-Related Provisions in the Communications Act...................................................................... 7
Provisions in H.R. 1746, the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act ..................................... 8
PEG-Related Policy Issues ............................................................................................................ 10
State Franchising Laws............................................................................................................ 11
FCC Rulings Affecting PEG Funding ..................................................................................... 14
The Transition from Analog to Digital Cable Channels and PEG Channel Placement ........... 16
AT&T’s U-verse Service ......................................................................................................... 22
Local Institutional Networks (I-nets) ...................................................................................... 24
Tables
Table 1. States with Laws that Eliminate PEG Support Requirements.......................................... 12
Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 26
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Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Access Cable Television Channels
Overview: The Environment Today
When awarding franchises for the use of public rights of way to offer cable television service,
many local jurisdictions have required the cable companies to set aside some of their channel
capacity for public access, educational, or governmental (collectively, PEG) use1 and to provide
financial support for those PEG access channels. These channels are perhaps best known for
carrying local city council meetings, but they generally provide a significantly broader array of
governmental, educational, community, religious, and political programming. Today, subscribers
to more than 1,500 U.S. cable systems have access to PEG channels.2
PEG channels are not mandated by federal law. But the Cable Communications Policy Act of
1984 (P.L. 98-549) amended the Communications Act to explicitly allow franchising authorities
to require cable operators to set aside channel capacity for PEG use and to provide adequate
facilities or financial support for those channels.3 These PEG provisions have been a primary
vehicle for fostering in cable systems the long-standing U.S. media policy goal of localism.4
The environment for PEG channels is being roiled by a number of public policy and budgetary
changes at the federal, state, and local level and by technological changes in cable networks.
More than 100 PEG access centers—which provide community groups and individuals free
access to video production facilities and equipment, training, and programming time—have
closed since 2005, and others are threatened by severe funding cuts. Without the programming
produced at PEG access centers, PEG channels may not be able to continue operations. At the
same time, some subscribers now have greater difficulty accessing PEG programming. Not all
PEG access centers and PEG channels are facing this bleak environment, however; many
continue to have stable funding sources.
American Community Television, an organization that advocates on behalf of PEG access
centers, estimates that the more than 1,500 PEG access centers in the United States manage
1 Public access channels present video programming and other electronic information produced, directed, and
engineered by community organizations and individuals. Educational access channels offer programming provided by
school or college employees and students; it typically focuses on distance learning, school activities, and information
that the schools and colleges want to distribute beyond their campus boundaries. Governmental access channels provide
coverage of public meetings and information from local, state, and regional governments intended for the general
public. Governmental channels also may provide, on closed-circuit, training programs for government employees. See
“Access Basics,” prepared by The Buske Group, http://buskegroup.com/PEG_Access_Basics.pdf.
2 In the chapter on PEG access channels in its July 2011 report, The Information Needs of Communities: The Changing
Media Landscape in a Broadband Age, http://www.ffc.gov/infoneedsreport, the Federal Communications Commission
cited (at p. 170) a 1998 survey that reported that 18% of cable systems have public access channels, 15% have
educational access channels, and 13% have governmental access channels. Since most cable systems serving the largest
U.S. cities are required to make channel capacity available for PEG use, far more than 18% of U.S. households have
access to PEG channels. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association reports (at http://www.ncta.com/Stats/
CableSystems.aspx) that the number of U.S. cable head-ends (systems) has fallen from 11,408 in 1998 to 7,246 in
2010, as cable companies have followed the strategy of trading systems among themselves to create clusters of systems
in fewer geographic locations rather than owning many individual systems scattered around the country. In some cases,
contiguous systems are then combined and served by a single head-end, thus consolidating the number of systems, but
it is unlikely that has resulted in fewer households receiving PEG channels.
3 See sections 611(a), (b), and (c) (47 U.S.C. §531(a), (b), and (c)) and 621(a)(4)(B) (47 U.S.C. §541(a)(4)(B)).
4 Title VI of the Communications Act addresses cable communications. The first section of that title (§601) identifies
six purposes of the title; one of these is to “establish franchise procedures and standards ... which assure that cable
systems are responsive to the needs and interests of the local community” (47 U.S.C. §521(2)).
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upwards of 5,000 cable television PEG channels.5 Each week these channels carry 20,000 hours
of new programs from local governments, schools, health and jobs organizations, social services
agencies, and local residents.6 Although these estimates are provided by PEG advocates and may
be inflated, there is no question that PEG channels provide a very substantial amount of local
programming. The PEG channels vastly outnumber the 354 public broadcast television stations,
but the audiences for virtually all PEG channels are quite small.7 Most PEG access centers have a
paid staff of just one or two people, relying heavily on volunteers; one-third have annual budgets
(operating and capital) of less than $100,000.8
Reductions in PEG Funding
According to a recent survey,9
PEG Access Centers in at least 100 communities across the United States have been closed
since 2005.... Hundreds more PEG Access Centers in six states affected by state franchising
laws may be forced to close or experience serious threats to financial and in-kind support
over the next three years.
These closures appear to be related to three developments that are reducing funding for some
PEG access channels.
• In the past few years, 20 states have enacted laws allowing cable systems to
obtain statewide franchises.10 These state laws were motivated by the desire to
ease broad geographic market entry into the cable television market by Verizon
and AT&T by allowing them to obtain a single statewide franchise rather than
having to negotiate many local franchises. To provide incumbent cable systems
with competitive parity, many of the laws also allowed the incumbents to obtain
statewide franchises or replaced certain local franchise requirements with less
stringent statewide requirements. Some of these laws have abrogated or phased
out PEG provisions in existing local franchise agreements that required the
franchisees to set aside channels, provide financial or in-kind support, or provide
studio facilities11—or cable companies have interpreted the laws to allow them to
5 See http://acommunitytv.org.
6 Testimony of Barbara Popovic, executive director of Chicago Access Network Television, on behalf of The Alliance
for Community Media and Alliance for Communications Democracy, before the United States House of
Representatives Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, Hearing on
Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Access for Cable Television, September 17, 2008.
7 Audience measurement (ratings) data do not exist for PEG stations, in part because the audiences are small and in part
because there is no commercial interest willing to bear the costs associated with audience measurement.
8 The Information Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a Broadband Age, Federal
Communications Commission, July 2011, p. 170 and fns. 13 and 14, http://www.ffc.gov/infoneedsreport.
9 “Analysis of Recent PEG Access Center Closures, Funding Cutbacks and Related Threats,” prepared for Alliance for
Communications Democracy with support from the Benton Foundation (ACD/Benton Survey), April 8, 2011, p. 2,
http://www.theacd.org/uploaded_docs/2011_PEG_Access_study_1.pdf. Although this was not a random survey—it
specifically sought input from access centers and channels facing funds cuts or closure—there is no reason to question
the accuracy of its list of closures.
10 These states are Texas, Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, California, Michigan,
Missouri, Florida, Iowa, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Louisiana.
11 For a compilation of the relevant provisions in these state franchising laws, see “State Cable Franchise Laws at a
Glance, current as of 8/23/2011,” prepared by The Alliance for Community Media, Best Best & Krieger, and
(continued...)
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reduce or eliminate PEG support. Some of the provisions now being abrogated or
phased out required cable operators to provide hook-ups, facilities, or services
without charge to schools, fire stations, and other governmental locations;12 their
elimination will force the local jurisdictions to bear the associated costs or reduce
services.
• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiated a rulemaking
proceeding in the mid-2000s to implement section 621(a)(1) of the
Communications Act,13 which prohibits franchising authorities from
unreasonably refusing to award competitive franchises for the provision of cable
services. The FCC determined that some local franchise authorities (LFAs) had
set overly burdensome requirements for PEG support and concluded that LFAs
could require cable systems to provide “satisfactory or sufficient” PEG support
but not “significant” support. Section 622(b) of the Communications Act caps the
total franchise fees that a local jurisdiction may impose on cable operators at 5%
of gross cable revenues,14 subject to certain exceptions.15 The FCC concluded
that any PEG-related assessment that is not a capital cost must be subtracted from
the 5% statutory franchise fee cap,16 defining capital costs as “those costs
incurred in or associated with the construction of PEG access facilities,” but
excluding “payments in support of the use of PEG access facilities,” which “are
considered franchise fees and are subject to the 5 percent cap.” This limit on how
much funding a local franchising authority can require of a cable system was
applied to incumbent cable companies as well as to new competitors. PEG
supporters claim this interpretation represents a misreading of Congressional
intent17 and has created uncertainty about what constitutes capital costs, reducing
PEG-related funding by cable companies.
(...continued)
TeleCommUnity, http://www.allcommunitymedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/States-at-a-Glance-Franchise-
Rules.pdf.
12 See, for example, Matthew Hathaway, “Charter shutting off free cable to area government offices,” St. Louis Post-
Dispatch, August 17, 2011, http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_0028c552-dd0b-56c3-9377-
7e88edeeb541.htm. More generally, see “Assessing the Damage: Survey shows that state video franchise laws bring no
rate relief while harming public benefits,” results of a May 2008 online survey conducted by the Alliance for
Community Media (ACM Survey), http://www.cantv.org/keepusconnected/Harm-Survey-Report.pdf.
13 47 U.S.C. §541(a)(1).
14 47 U.S.C. §542(b).
15 Section 622(g)(2)(B) of the Communications Act (47 U.S.C. §542(g)(2)(B)) explicitly excludes from the 5% cap all
PEG-related assessments in franchise agreements in effect on October 30, 1984; most agreements in effect on that date
have expired but been renewed. Section 622(g)(2)(C) (47 U.S.C. §542(g)(2)(C)) only excludes PEG-related capital
costs from the 5% fee cap for agreements in effect after that date.
16 In the Matter of Implementation of Section 621(a)(1) of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 as amended
by the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992, MB Docket No. 05-311, Report and Order
and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, adopted December 20, 2006 and released March 5, 2007 (FCC Cable
Franchising Report and Order), ¶ 109, and In the Matter of Implementation of Section 621(a)(1) of the Cable
Communications Policy Act of 1984 as amended by the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of
1992, MB Docket No. 05-311, Second Report and Order, adopted October 31, 2007 and November 6, 2007, ¶ 11.
17 See, for example, In the Matter of Implementation of Section 621(a)(1) of the Cable Communications Policy Act of
1984 as amended by the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992, MB Docket No. 05-311,
Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein, stating that the House Report on the legislation explicitly
distinguishes between the monetary payments that comprise the franchise fee and the provision of services, facilities,
and equipment for PEG channels, institutional networks, or other uses.
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Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Access Cable Television Channels
• Historically, many jurisdictions imposed a franchise fee of 5% of gross cable
revenues on franchisees and then used a portion of those revenues to support
PEG operations. But some local jurisdictions that have long provided such
support for PEG operations are facing budget shortfalls that are forcing them to
reduce their PEG funding.18 This appears to be happening more frequently in
those local jurisdictions that, as a result of state laws, no longer have franchising
authority.
According to the ACD/Benton Survey, almost half of the survey respondents providing financial
data reported a decrease in funding between 2005 and 2010 and 20% of the respondents that
receive in-kind support from their cable operators reported reductions in that support.19
At the same time, many PEG access centers and channels have not been affected by these
changes. Fifty-five percent of the respondents in a PEG access benchmarking study performed in
2010 said their public access funding had increased over the past two years, while 36% said that it
had remained the same or gone down.20 Those access centers that receive a fixed percentage of
their local cable companies’ cable revenues are enjoying increased funding as overall cable
revenues continue to increase; others have benefited from funding escalators in their franchise
agreements.
Systematic data do not exist on the funding and financial strength of PEG access centers. It
appears, however, that while many access centers continue to enjoy stable funding sources, a
sizeable portion are facing abrupt and significant funding reductions that may challenge their
existence.
Requirements in franchise agreements to provide PEG access channels impose two types of costs
on cable systems: the direct costs of providing facilities and/or financial support for PEG centers
and the opportunity costs of allocating channels to noncommercial PEG entities when those
channels could generate revenues if put to commercial use. Although no data have been collected
to estimate how substantial these direct and opportunity costs are, they clearly are not negligible.
Cable systems therefore have the incentive to minimize the amount of their system capacity
allocated to PEG channels and the level of outlays they must make in support of PEG channels.
Cable service providers subject to the PEG provisions in the Communications Act include
traditional cable operators, such as Comcast and Time Warner, as well as landline
telecommunications firms that have recently entered the multichannel video programming
distribution (MVPD) market, such as AT&T and Verizon. These telecommunications firms, like
traditional cable operators, use the public rights of way. AT&T continues to assert that its video
service is not a cable service and should not be subject to cable franchise agreements.21 On July
18 According to Sue Buske, a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Community Media, a PEG advocacy
organization, a partial list of local jurisdictions in which PEG access operations have been closed or have had their
budgets reduced due to cutbacks in franchise fee funding or general fund funding includes: South Bend, Mishawaka,
Hammond, Valparaiso, Muncie, Lafayette, Plymouth, Elkhart, and Michigan City, IN; Reno, Sparks, and Washoe
County, NV; LaVerne, Oceanside, Millbrae, Vallejo, and Healdsburg, CA; Bainbridge Island and Seattle, WA; Tucson,
AZ; Framingham, MA; Reading, PA; Aspen, CO; Batavia, IL; and Atlanta, GA.
19 ACD/Benton Survey, p. 2.
20 Front Range Consulting, Inc. and Riedel Communications, Inc., 2010 PEG Access Benchmarking Study, p. 12,
http://acommunitytv.org/act-now/other-resources/.
21 See, for example, In the Matter of Petition for Declaratory ruling of the City of Lansing, Michigan, on Requirements
for a Basic Service Tier and the PEG Channel Capacity Under Sections 543(b)(7), 531(a), and the Commission’s
(continued...)
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26, 2007, the U.S. District Court for Connecticut found that AT&T’s service is a cable service
subject to cable franchising and on July 10, 2008, that court confirmed the decision, which had
been appealed by AT&T. On March 5, 2010, however, the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of
Appeals vacated the district court decision as moot because, prior to that decision, the
Connecticut legislature enacted a new Video Franchise Act that “unambiguously required AT&T
to obtain a video franchise before providing video service in the state,” thus leaving the federal
district court without jurisdiction.22
Changes in Cable Network Technologies and Architectures
Cable service providers are making significant technological changes to their networks that are
changing the way they provide PEG channels to end users. Traditional cable providers are
migrating in stages from analog to digital transmission of their programming, so not all
programming has yet been shifted to digital transmission. During the transition, operators are
offering popular channels in both formats—that is, providing both a digital channel and an analog
channel—but the operators prefer not to tie up their network capacity for both digital and analog
transmission of less popular programming. Therefore, many cable operators have chosen to
provide the lightly viewed PEG channels only on digital tiers that require a subscriber with an
analog television set to obtain a set-top box with a digital-to-analog converter for reception.
Some cable operators are providing these set-top boxes to subscribers for free during the digital
transition, but others are charging.23 When operators have taken the latter course, some PEG
advocates and local jurisdictions have objected that this places subscribers in the position of
having to pay for the set-top box or not receive PEG programming. These parties claim this is
inconsistent with the terms of local franchise agreements and the intent of section
623(b)(7)(A)(ii) of the Communications Act24 that cable operators must make a basic tier of
programming (including any PEG channels required by the franchise authority) available to all
subscribers at a low price. These groups have petitioned the FCC to issue a declaratory ruling that
PEG channels must be carried on the basic service tier and treated equally with other basic
service tier channels.25 AT&T and others in the cable industry have filed comments opposing
(...continued)
Ancillary Jurisdiction Under Title I; In the Matter of Petition for Declaratory Ruling of Alliance for Community Media,
et al., that AT&T’s Method of Delivering Public, Educational, and Government Access Channels Over Its U-verse
System is Contrary to the Communications Act of 1934, as Amended, and Applicable Commission Rules; In the Matter
of Petition for Declaratory Ruling Regarding Primary Jurisdiction Referral in City of Dearborn et al. v. Comcast of
Michigan III, Inc. et al. CSR-8227, 8126, and 8128, MB Docket No. 09-13, Comments of AT&T Opposing Petitions
for Declaratory Ruling, March 9, 2009, p. 2.
22 Office of Consumer Counsel v. Southern New England Telephone Co., No. 09-0116-cv, United States Court of
Appeals, Second Circuit, March 5, 2010.
23 For example, as discussed in greater detail below, in Michigan when Comcast initially migrated its PEG channels
from its analog tier to its digital tier, it announced that it would provide each subscribing household one digital set-top
box free for one year, but would charge for set-top boxes needed for other television sets in the household and would
charge after the first year for the initially free set-top box. Those terms were modified in a settlement agreement with
several Michigan jurisdictions that brought suit. Later, as part of obtaining approval from the FCC for its merger with
NBC-Universal, Comcast agreed to PEG-related conditions that included (1) not migrating PEG channels to digital
delivery until the system has converted to all-digital distribution (that is, until all analog channels are eliminated) or
until the governmental entity responsible for the system’s PEG operations expressly agrees, whichever comes first; and
(2) carrying all PEG channels on its digital starter tier or an equivalent tier that reaches at least 85% of its subscribers.
24 47 U.S.C. §543(b)(7)(A)(ii).
25 See In the Matter of Petition for Declaratory Ruling of the City of Lansing, Michigan, on Requirements for a Basic
(continued...)
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those petitions.26 To date, the FCC has not issued any declaratory rulings in response to these
petitions.
AT&T has introduced its U-verse service, which provides multi-channel video service using
Internet Protocol (IP) technology and a network architecture that does not “broadcast” the signals
of all the program networks to the end user, but rather allows the subscriber to use a set-top box
to “call up” the desired video stream from a single centralized hub in each metropolitan area,
where the video file is stored. AT&T says it would be prohibitively expensive to use this
architecture for the many PEG access channels in a metropolitan area and therefore has chosen to
offer PEG programming in a different fashion that is more akin to the way it handles Internet
traffic. It has created a separate platform for PEG, placing the PEG programming for all
jurisdictions in a metropolitan area on a single channel (99). PEG viewers must go to channel 99,
pull down a menu that identifies each of the local jurisdictions, select the desired jurisdiction to
get a menu that identifies all the PEG programming for that jurisdiction, and then select the
particular program. In addition to the time required to do this, and the particular difficulty for
visually impaired viewers, the programming cannot be recorded on a DVR and picture quality is
impaired.
Some PEG advocates and local jurisdictions claim AT&T is offering PEG programming in an
inferior and discriminatory fashion that does not meet the requirements of local franchise
agreements or the Communications Act. For example, the Alliance for Community Media and
other parties filed a petition with the FCC asking it to make a declaratory ruling that, among other
things, “AT&T’s systematic discrimination against PEG programming in terms of accessibility,
functionality, and signal quality violates Sections 611, 623, and 624(e) of the Communications
Act and FCC rules and policies.”27 AT&T responded that U-verse is not a cable service subject to
those requirements, but that in any case it meets all those requirements and would be required to
deploy its IP network inefficiently in order to meet requirements developed for traditional cable
architecture.28 The FCC has not yet issued a ruling on the petition.
PEG access channel requirements do not apply to direct broadcast satellite (DBS) systems
(DirecTV and DISH Network). Although DBS providers compete with cable operators in the
MVPD market, DBS is a satellite service, not a cable service, does not require the use of public
rights of way, and is not subject to cable franchising requirements. By federal law, if a satellite
operator chooses to offer its subscribers local broadcast television station signals in a local market
it must provide the signals of all full-power broadcast stations in that market, but it need not offer
PEG channels, which are cable channels, not broadcast channels.29
(...continued)
Service Tier and the PEG Channel Capacity Under Sections 543(b)(7), 531(a), and the Commission’s Ancillary
Jurisdiction Under Title I, MB Docket No. 09-13, City of Lansing Petition for Declaratory Ruling, January 27, 2009,
and In the Matter of Petition for Declaratory Ruling Regarding Primary Jurisdiction Referral in City of Dearborn et al.
v. Comcast of Michigan III, Inc. et al., MB Docket No. 09-13, City of Dearborn Petition for Declaratory Ruling,
December 9, 2008.
26 See the Comments of AT&T Opposing Petitions for Declaratory Ruling.
27 In the Matter of Petition for a Declaratory Ruling that AT&T’s Method of Delivering Public, Educational and
Government Access Channels Over Its U-verse System is Contrary to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended,
and Applicable Commission Rules, Petition for Declaratory Ruling of Alliance for Community Media, et al., January
30, 2009.
28 See Comments of AT&T Opposing Petitions for Declaratory Ruling.
29 There likely would be a number of technological and cost challenges associated with providing the PEG channels
(continued...)
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With the development of the Internet, it is possible to distribute PEG programming online, where
it would not consume scarce cable capacity for which there is commercial demand. Indeed, many
PEG access centers already distribute their programming online. But Internet access is not
universal and therefore relying upon the Internet to replace rather than extend cable distribution
of PEG programming might not be consistent with the long-standing public policy goal of
fostering localism. Moreover, use of the Internet for distribution does not eliminate the problem
of funding PEG program production.
PEG-Related Provisions in the Communications Act
There are four key sections in the Communications Act relating to PEG access channels.
Section 611, which is entitled “Cable Channels for Public, Educational, or Governmental Use,”
allows a franchising authority to
• establish requirements in a franchise with respect to the designation or use of
channel capacity for PEG use (but only to the extent provided in this section);30
• require that channel capacity be designated for PEG use and to establish rules
and procedures for the use of the channel capacity so designated;31 and
• enforce any requirement in any franchise regarding the provision or use of such
channel capacity. Such enforcement includes the authority to enforce any
provisions of the franchise for services, facilities, or equipment proposed by the
cable operator which relate to PEG use of channel capacity, whether or not
required by the franchising authority.32
Section 621, entitled “General Franchise Requirements,” includes the instruction that, in
awarding a franchise, the franchising authority may require adequate assurance that the cable
operator will provide adequate PEG access channel capacity, facilities, or financial support.33
Section 622, entitled “Franchise Fees,” sets a cap on the franchise fee that a franchising authority
may charge at 5% of the cable operator’s gross revenues,34 but explicitly states that the term
“franchise fee” does not include (1) in the case of a franchise in effect in October 1984, payments
that are required to be made by the cable operator during the terms of such franchise for, or in
support of the use of, PEG access facilities, or (2) in the case of any franchise granted
subsequently, capital costs that are required by the franchise to be incurred by the cable operator
for PEG access channels.35 Thus, franchise authorities may impose certain PEG costs on a cable
provider over and above the 5% franchise fee limit.
(...continued)
over DBS. For example, in many cases there are many jurisdiction-specific PEG channels in a single local market and
the bandwidth needed to uplink and downlink all those channels likely would tax the capacity of satellite systems.
30 Section 611(a), 47 U.S.C. §531(a).
31 Section 611(b), 47 U.S.C. §531(b).
32 Section 611(c), 47 U.S.C. §531(c).
33 Section 621(a)(4)(B), 47 U.S.C. §541(a)(4)(B).
34 Section 622(b), 47 U.S.C. §542(b).
35 Sections 622(g)(2)(B) and (C), 47 U.S.C. §542(g)(2) (B) and (C).
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Section 623(b), entitled “Establishment of Basic Service Tier Rate Regulations,” includes the
instruction that each cable operator provide its subscribers a separately available basic service tier
to which subscription is required for access to any other tier of service. That basic service tier—
which is subject to price regulation by the franchising authority if the FCC has not made the
determination that the cable provider faces effective competition—must include any PEG access
programming required by the franchise of the cable system to be provided to subscribers.36
Provisions in H.R. 1746, the Community Access
Preservation (CAP) Act
The Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act, H.R. 1746, introduced by Representatives
Baldwin and LaTourette on May 5, 2011, seeks to mitigate the impact of provisions in state
franchising laws that may reduce resources and support for PEG access centers and also to sustain
consumer access to PEG channels. Key provisions include:
• If a state enacts a law affecting the number of channels a franchising authority
may require a cable operator to designate for PEG use, a local government
subdivision may require the cable company to provide the greater of the number
of channels the operator was providing in that subdivision prior to enactment of
the state law or up to three channels.37
• If a state enacts a law affecting cable system franchising requirements relating to
support for PEG use of a cable system, a cable operator owes to any local
government subdivision in which the operator provides cable service an amount
to be determined by the subdivision but not to exceed the greatest of: (a) the
amount of support provided in the last calendar year ending before the effective
date of the state legislation; (b) the average annual amount of support provided
over the term of the franchise under which the cable operator was operating
before the effective date of the state law; (c) the amount of support that the cable
operator is required to provide to the subdivision under the state law; or (d) an
amount of support equal to 2% of the gross revenues of the cable operator from
the operation of the cable system to provide cable services in the subdivision.
The forms of support for PEG use include all cash payments, in-kind support,
and free services that the operator provides to the subdivision for PEG use of the
cable system. This amount will be adjusted for inflation using the Gross National
Product Price Index.38 Support provided to any subdivision must be dedicated to
PEG use of channel capacity.
36 Section 623(b)(7)(A)(ii), 47 U.S.C. §543(b)(7)(A)(ii).
37 A local government subdivision is defined as follows: (1) a franchising authority that derives its power to grant a
franchise from state or local law, except that (2) in a state that adopts a state law with PEG franchising requirements, an
entity that was considered a franchising authority deriving its power to grant a franchise from state or local law prior to
the effective date of the state law.
38 The Gross National Product Price Index (GNPPI) measures changes in the prices of all final goods and services
produced by an economy. In comparison, the Consumer Price Index only measures the price changes for a fixed basket
of goods and services purchased directly by consumers. The GNPPI therefore provides a broader picture of inflation in
the economy. The GNPPI is constructed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in the Department of Commerce.
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• The definition of “franchise fee” in section 602(g)(2)(A) and (B) of the
Communications Act39 is modified to explicitly exclude for any cable franchise,
not just for those franchises in effect on October 30, 1984, payments that are
required by the franchise to be made by the cable operator for, or in support of
the use of, PEG access facilities. Since franchise fees are subject to a statutory
cap of 5% of gross cable revenues, this exclusion would allow local jurisdictions
to impose PEG-related fees in addition to a 5% franchise fee.
• The cable operator must carry the PEG signals from their point of origin to
subscribers without material degradation and without altering or removing
content or data. This provision would prohibit the cable operator from
eliminating closed captioning or lessening other capabilities.
• The cable operator must provide the PEG signals to, and make them viewable by,
every subscriber, without additional service or equipment charge. This would
prohibit a cable operator from migrating PEG channels to a digital tier while
continuing to offer commercial channels on an analog tier and then charging
analog customers for a set-top box to obtain the PEG channels.
• The cable operator must provide to the local government subdivision, free of
charge, any transmission services and the use of transmission facilities that are
necessary to carry the PEG signals to end users. Some cable operators have
begun to charge local jurisdictions for such transmission service and facilities;
this provision is intended to end that practice.
• Local government subdivisions, as well as states, are given the authority to
enforce the provisions outlined above.
• A local government subdivision may not impose additional PEG-related
requirements on a cable system unless that subdivision is the franchising
authority at the time the requirements are imposed or the state law authorizes the
subdivision to impose such requirements.
• The FCC must submit within 180 days of enactment of the CAP Act a report
containing an analysis of the impact of state franchising laws on PEG use of
cable systems; an analysis of the impact of the conversion from analog to digital
transmission technologies on PEG use of cable systems; recommendations for
changes to this section of law required to preserve and advance localism and
PEG use of advanced communications systems, including broadband systems;
and recommendations for changes to this section of law, after cable systems have
converted to a fully digital delivery system, relating to requirements for the
accessibility of PEG channel capacity and the placement of such channel
capacity, except that the recommendations may not include allowing cable
operators to impose additional charges on subscribers with respect to the quality,
availability, functionality, or placement of that channel capacity.
• The definition of cable service in section 602(6) of the Communications Act is
modified by inserting the following words in italics: ‘the term “cable service”
means, regardless of the technology or transmission protocol used in the
provision of service, (A) the one-way transmission to subscribers of (i) video
39 47 U.S.C. §542(g)(2)(A) and (B).
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programming, or (ii) other programming service, and (B) subscriber interaction,
if any, which is required for the selection or use of such video programming or
other programming service.” This is intended to include AT&T’s U-verse service
in the definition of cable service.
As will be explained below in the discussion of specific issues, the National Cable &
Telecommunications Association (NCTA) opposes the bill. PEG advocates support the bill.
PEG-Related Policy Issues
It is difficult to quantify the impact of the various public policy, budgetary, and technological
changes on the PEG environment because limited systematic data exist relating to PEG channels.
• Comprehensive data are not available on the portion of PEG financial support for
capital and operating costs that currently comes from fees on cable companies,
in-kind contributions from cable companies, payments from the general revenues
of local jurisdictions, private contributions, foundation grants, or other sources—
though the cable companies have generally been the primary funders and local
jurisdictions the second largest funders.
• In its rulemaking proceeding, the FCC made no attempt to measure the extent to
which existing cable franchisees or franchise applicants were required to pay
PEG operating expenses or offer in-kind services; it cited limited anecdotal
evidence of a handful of local jurisdictions seeking to impose onerous
requirements.
• Neither the FCC nor stakeholders (cable companies or PEG advocates) have
attempted to construct estimates of the likely scale of cutbacks in funding from
cable companies as state laws take effect and from local jurisdictions as tight
budgetary conditions prevail. As a result, it is difficult to project the aggregate
impact of the funding cuts that PEG access centers are experiencing or are likely
to experience, although it is possible to identify cases in which such cuts have
resulted in closings and it may be possible to use these to make forecasts of the
likely impact of state law provisions that will take place next year.
• Neither the cable industry nor the FCC has quantified the opportunity costs
associated with setting aside channels for PEG use. Cable companies would
receive some revenues from commercial use of those channels, but given that
most cable networks offer hundreds of channels and that the marginal channels
attract very small audiences, the opportunity costs associated with PEG channels,
though not negligible, are likely to be small.40 Consumer welfare losses also are
likely to be small since the foregone commercial channels would attract few
viewers. Although it is difficult to measure the intensity of demand for services
for which there is no price, some viewers appear to attach a high value to PEG
programming. (Indeed, these viewers might choose cable service over satellite
service precisely because they cannot receive PEG channels over satellite.)
40 As will be discussed below, AT&T claims that given its network technology and architecture, there are very high
network costs associated with providing PEG service that do not exist for more traditional cable architectures.
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Moreover, Congress has long viewed local programming as having public
benefits that should be fostered.
There is evidence, however, that the various public policy and budgetary changes, especially the
elimination of requirements for cable companies to support PEG channels, are threatening the
financial viability of PEG access centers in the affected states.
State Franchising Laws
Section 602(10) of the Communications Act defines “franchising authority” to mean any
governmental entity empowered by federal, state, or local law to grant a franchise.41 As recently
as five years ago, most states left cable franchising authority entirely to local jurisdictions (local
franchising authorities or LFAs). About 10 states had some role in the franchising process, but
many of these just reviewed locally negotiated agreements.
Between 2006 and 2009, 20 states—Texas, Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, South
Carolina, New Jersey, California, Michigan, Missouri, Florida, Iowa, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio,
Illinois, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Louisiana—enacted laws establishing statewide
cable franchises and legislation was introduced in 2011 in two additional states, Massachusetts
and Idaho.42 These state laws were motivated by the desire to ease broad geographic market entry
by Verizon, AT&T, and others by allowing them to obtain a single statewide franchise rather than
having to negotiate many local franchises. To provide incumbent cable systems with competitive
parity, many of the laws also allow incumbents to obtain statewide franchises upon the expiration
of their local franchise agreements or to replace certain local franchise requirements with less
stringent statewide requirements.
There are great differences among the state laws and their impact on the requirements for cable
company provision of PEG channel capacity and PEG financial and technical support varies
significantly.43 Most significant from the PEG perspective, a number of state laws in effect have
41 47 U.S.C. §522(10).
42 For a detailed description of state cable franchise laws, see “State Cable Franchise Laws at a Glance, current as of
8/23/2011,” prepared by The Alliance for Community Media, Best Best & Krieger, and TeleCommUnity,
http://www.allcommunitymedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/States-at-a-Glance-Franchise-Rules.pdf.
43 Some of the state laws set specific terms, conditions, and maximum or minimum requirements that are applicable in
all the local jurisdictions in the state served by the franchise applicant. Others explicitly require the franchise applicant
to match the requirements imposed on the incumbent cable provider in each local jurisdiction at the time the law was
enacted, that is, the franchise requirements vary from local jurisdiction to local jurisdiction. Some laws, which would
allow incumbent cable franchisees to apply for a state franchise upon the completion of their current local franchises,
set statewide requirements that would apply to both incumbent and new franchisees when the incumbent’s existing
local franchise expires, but require both to follow the existing local franchise requirements in the interim. Yet others
allow both incumbents and new entrants to immediately obtain statewide franchises subject to statewide requirements,
in effect annulling some or all of the terms of the incumbent cable operators’ existing local franchise agreements. As a
result, the impact of these state laws on the requirements for the provision of PEG channel capacity and PEG financial
and technical support varies significantly from state to state. For example, the state franchising laws in Texas, Virginia,
Indiana, California, Michigan, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin require new entrants that seek to offer
service in multiple local jurisdictions in a state to match the specific PEG channel capacity requirements currently
imposed on the incumbent cable providers by the local franchising authorities in each jurisdiction (while setting certain
minimum levels for situations in which there is no incumbent provider). In contrast, the state franchising laws in
Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Missouri, Iowa, and Georgia set statewide maximum or minimum
PEG channel capacity requirements that are unrelated to the requirements in the existing franchise agreements of
incumbent cable providers. The state franchising laws have even greater variation with respect to requirements for the
(continued...)
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sunset provisions for PEG support for both incumbent cable companies and new entrants, as
shown in Table 1.
Table 1. States with Laws that Eliminate PEG Support Requirements
State
Impact on Incumbent Cable Operators
Impact on New Cable Operators
Nevada
Support requirements end upon expiration of
No PEG support requirements
the incumbent’s local franchise agreement
Kansas
Support requirements end upon expiration of
No PEG support requirements
the incumbent’s local franchise agreement
Missouri
Support requirements end upon expiration of
No PEG support requirements
the incumbent’s local franchise agreement
South
Support requirements end upon expiration of
No PEG support requirements
Carolina
the incumbent’s local franchise agreement
Iowa
Support requirements end upon expiration of
Support requirements end upon expiration of
the incumbent’s local franchise agreement
the incumbent’s local franchise agreement
Wisconsin
Support requirements ended in the first half of
Support requirements ended in the first half of
2011
2011
Ohio
Support requirements end upon the expiration
Support requirements end upon the expiration
or termination of the incumbent’s local franchise
or termination of the incumbent’s local franchise
agreement or January 1, 2012, whichever is
agreement or January 1, 2012, whichever is
earlier
earlier
Georgia
Support requirements end upon the expiration
Support requirements end upon the expiration
of the incumbent’s local franchise agreement or
of the incumbent’s local franchise agreement or
July 1, 2012, whichever is earlier
July 1, 2012, whichever is earlier
Florida
Support requirements end upon the expiration
Support requirements end upon the expiration
of the incumbent’s local franchise agreement or
of the incumbent’s local franchise agreement or
July 1, 2012, whichever is earlier
July 1, 2012, whichever is earlier
New Jersey
Support requirements have been eliminated
Support requirements have been eliminated
except that statewide franchise holders must
except that statewide franchise holders must
provide equipment and training
provide equipment and training
Source: Compiled by CRS from “State Cable Franchise Laws at a Glance, current as of 8/23/2011,” prepared by
The Alliance for Community Media, Best Best & Krieger, and TeleCommUnity, at
http://www.allcommunitymedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/States-at-a-Glance-Franchise-Rules.pdf, and
other sources.
Other state laws set caps on, but do not eliminate, the PEG support requirements that can be
imposed on cable operators. For example, the Texas law sets a cap of 1% of gross cable revenues
and the Virginia law sets a cap of 1.5% of gross cable revenues.
(...continued)
state franchisee to provide PEG financial support. Some state laws (for example, Texas, Indiana, Michigan, Florida,
Iowa, Georgia, and Ohio) require new entrants that seek to offer service in multiple local jurisdictions to provide the
same level of support as is currently imposed on the incumbent cable providers by the local franchising authorities in
each of those local jurisdictions. Others (for example, Virginia, California, and Illinois) set specific statewide minimum
or maximum levels of PEG support, in terms of a percentage of revenues. Yet others (for example, Kansas, South
Carolina, Missouri, and Nevada) do not require the new entrants to provide any PEG support.
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Sometimes a state law does not end PEG financial support requirements, but eliminates a
particular type of support that PEG access centers have heavily relied upon for their operations.
For example, in California, there is a process for local jurisdictions to continue to require cable
systems to pay a PEG fee of up to 1% of the franchisee’s gross revenues, but those jurisdictions
cannot require the franchisee to provide PEG studios, institutional networks, or other non-cash
support. PEG advocates claim that Time Warner, Charter, and Comcast have discontinued
providing studios in a number of communities in California and as a result 51 communities have
closed access centers.44 Similarly, based on state laws that affected PEG requirements, some cable
operators that were operating PEG channels in Indiana and Illinois have closed their PEG access
centers, on as little as 30 days’ notice.45
Some states laws have placed minimum programming requirements on PEG channels even as
they have eliminated or set caps on cable company PEG support requirements.46 For example, in
Georgia, Texas, and Michigan, PEG channels are required to provide at least eight hours of non-
repeat programming content daily, but Georgia has eliminated PEG support requirements and
both Texas and Michigan have capped support requirements. In Texas, Time Warner stopped
airing San Antonio Public Access because the channel could no longer meet the 8-hour non-repeat
daily programming requirement.47
More broadly, LFAs and PEG advocates claim that the new laws, as interpreted by new entrants
and incumbent cable companies, have resulted in limitations on the PEG fees that localities can
impose on franchisees, the elimination of free access to video equipment and television studio
space previously provided to PEG programmers by franchisees, the elimination of cable company
staff was previously provided to operate the access centers where PEG programming is produced,
degradation of PEG signal quality rendering it no longer comparable to that of commercial
channels, and inferior channel placement for PEG channels.48 As a result, some PEG advocates
and local governments claim that statewide requirements fail to meet the needs of their local
communities. They say this is of particular concern because there is wide variation among
communities regarding what PEG programming should be made available and how it should be
delivered.
Systematic data are not available on how much PEG support—in cash, facilities, equipment,
services, personnel, etc.—has been reduced as a result of the state laws—and how much
44 According to the ACD/Benton study, Charter PEG access centers have been closed in Glendale, Long Beach, Los
Angeles, and Malibu; Comcast PEG access centers have been closed in Alameda County, Albany, Ashland, Castro
Valley, Cherryland, Fremont, El Cerrito, Hayward, Kensington, Richmond, San Leandro, Dan Lorenzo, San Pablo,
Newark, and Union City; and Time Warner PEG access centers have been closed in Avocado Heights, Baldwin Park,
Carlsbad, Carson, City of Industry, Compton, Costa Mesa, El Segundo, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove,
Gardena, Hacienda Heights, Hawthorne, Huntington Beach, Lawndale, La Puente, Los Alamitos, Los Angeles, North
Whittier, Ojai, Oxnard, Placentia, Puente Hills, Santa Ana, South Whittier, Stanton, Tustin, Valinda, and Westminster.
45 See, American Community Television, “For many states, time is running out ... ,” http://www.acommunitytv.org/
actnow/troubleinthestates.html.
46 The Information Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a Broadband Age, Federal
Communications Commission, July 2011, p. 173 and fn. 63, http://www.ffc.gov/infoneedsreport.
47 One criticism of some PEG access centers is that they rely too heavily on studio production of their programming
and fail to exploit opportunities for field production, such as local high sports coverage, that could be used to expand
their original programming. See The Information Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a
Broadband Age, Federal Communications Commission, July 2011, p. 177, http://www.ffc.gov/infoneedsreport.
48 See, for example, Josh Goodman, “Unscripted Ending: The Picture Gets Blurry for Public Access Television,”
governing.com, January 31, 2008, available at http://www.governing.com/topics/technology/unscripted-ending.html.
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additional reduction will occur as local franchise agreements expire and as the 2012 sunset dates
in various state laws are reached. But these state laws clearly have and will continue to have very
major impacts on PEG support. It is unlikely that alternative sources, such as private donations
and foundation grants, will be able to generate enough funds in the near term to replace the loss in
cable company support,49 and thus some state laws may potentially have an existential impact on
PEG access centers and channels.
As noted above, two provisions in the CAP Act are intended to explicitly address the impact of
the state bills. One provides that, if a state limits the number of channels a franchising authority
may require a cable operator to designate for PEG use, a local government subdivision may
require a cable company to provide the greater of the number of channels the operator was
providing in that subdivision prior to enactment of the state law or up to three channels. The other
provision would entitle local governments to require a cable operator to provide PEG support
even if a state enacts a law eliminating or restricting such requirements. The provision would set
a cap on the amount that could be required50 and would require that those funds be dedicated to
PEG use of channel capacity.51
The cable industry opposes the provisions in the CAP Act that would allow local jurisdictions to
impose PEG requirements beyond those set under state law or in statewide franchise agreements.
NCTA claims the CAP Act would increase cable company costs and lead to higher cable rates,
and that since these requirements do not apply to satellite operators the cable companies would be
placed at a competitive disadvantage.52 It also states that the CAP Act would allow a local
government subdivision to “trump the decisions made by the state franchising authority.” NCTA
incorrectly claims, however, that the CAP Act would allow local franchising authorities to impose
“unlimited PEG-related costs.”53
FCC Rulings Affecting PEG Funding
In 2007, the FCC adopted rules and provided guidance that set restrictions on the process and
requirements that local franchising authorities may employ when considering franchise
applications from potential new cable service providers (such as telephone companies) and
49 For example, in its July 2011 report, The Information Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a
Broadband Age, the Federal Communications Commission found (at p. 173 and fn. 62) that because PEG access
centers are largely volunteer-run they often lack the stable leadership and staffing that media funders and foundations
need to be able to construct an ongoing partnership (http://www.ffc.gov/infoneedsreport).
50 The cap is the greatest of: (a) the amount of support provided in the last calendar year ending before the effective
date of the state legislation; (b) the average annual amount of support provided over the term of the franchise under
which the cable operator was operating before the effective date of the state law; (c) the amount of support that the
cable operator is required to provide to the subdivision under the state law; or (d) an amount of support equal to 2% of
the gross revenues of the cable operator from the operation of the cable system to provide cable services in the
subdivision. The forms of support for PEG use include all cash payments, in-kind support, and free services that the
operator provides to the subdivision for PEG use of the cable system. This amount will be adjusted for inflation using
the Gross National Product Price Index. Support provided to any subdivision must be dedicated to PEG use of channel
capacity.
51 The CAP Act also instructs the FCC to perform and submit to Congress an analysis of the impact of the enactment of
state video service franchising laws since 2005 on PEG use of cable systems.
52 “The Community Access Preservation Act (“CAP Act”) Is Bad for Consumers, Video Competition, and Local
Municipalities,” National Cable & Telecommunications Association release, May 2011,
http://www.ncta.com/DocumentBinary.aspx?id=974.
53 Ibid.
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incumbents.54 The FCC based its actions on Section 621(a)(1) of the Communications Act,55
which prohibits franchising authorities from unreasonably refusing to award competitive
franchises for the provision of cable services. The stated intent of the orders was to foster the
ability of competitors to gain entry into video service markets and to enhance broadband
development. The FCC argued that, under the current rules, competitors attempting to enter new
markets faced unreasonable regulatory obstacles.
In reaching its conclusions and constructing the specific rules constraining LFA requirements, the
FCC admitted that for some of the allegedly restrictive requirements “few parties provided
specific details.”56 It referred to only a single incident to support its conclusion that disputes
involving LFA-mandated contributions in support of PEG services and equipment were impeding
video deployment and may have been leading to unreasonable refusal to award competitive
franchises.57 It relied on statutory construction, rather than empirical evidence, when concluding
that “adequate PEG access channel capacity, facilities, and financial support” means “satisfactory
or sufficient” rather than “significant” support,58 and gives LFAs the freedom to establish their
own PEG requirements “provided that the non-capital costs of such requirements are offset from
the cable operator’s franchise fee payments.”59 That is, any PEG-related assessment imposed on
the cable operator that is not a capital cost must be subtracted from the 5% fee cap, rather than
imposed over and above the 5% fee. In its decision upholding the FCC’s First Report and Order,
the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals found, based on the legislative history of the Cable Act, that
costs relating to PEG equipment should be considered capital costs as long as they were incurred
in or associated with the construction of PEG access facilities.60
Since section 622(g)(2)(C)61 of the Communications Act only excludes PEG-related capital costs
from the 5% fee cap for agreements in effect after October 30, 1984, the FCC’s reliance on
statutory construction seems straight-forward. But PEG advocates and the two FCC
commissioners who dissented from the orders argue that the 1984 Cable Act permits a broader
interpretation of what may be required from franchisees over and above the 5% franchise fee.62
They point to legislative history, including the House report accompanying the Cable Act, which
states that the franchise fee does not include “any franchise requirements for the provision of
services, facilities or equipment.”63 They claim that the reference to “services” suggests that cable
54 In the Matter of Implementation of Section 621(a)(1) of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 as amended
by the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992, MB Docket No. 05-311, Report and Order
and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, adopted December 20, 2006 and released March 5, 2007 (FCC Cable
Franchising Report and Order), and In the Matter of Implementation of Section 621(a)(1) of the Cable Communications
Policy Act of 1984 as amended by the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992, MB Docket
No. 05-311, Second Report and Order, adopted October 31, 2007 and November 6, 2007. The orders did not address
the processes and requirements of state franchising authorities.
55 47 U.S.C. §541(a)(1).
56 FCC Cable Franchising Order, ¶ 105.
57 Ibid., ¶ 109 and fn. 361.
58 Ibid., ¶ 112.
59 Ibid., ¶ 113.
60 Alliance for Community Media, et al. v FCC, No. 07-3391, 6th Cir. June 27, 2008.
61 47 U.S.C. §542(g)(2)(C).
62 See, for example, “Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein,” amended to the FCC Cable
Franchise Report and Order, p. 105.
63 H.Rept. 98-934, p. 65.
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franchisees can be required to pay for non-capital PEG-related franchise requirements over and
above a 5% franchise fee.
Since the Communications Act does not define capital costs or service costs, PEG advocates and
LFAs claim they are left with a large degree of uncertainty about what assessments LFAs may
impose on cable franchisees over and above the franchise fee. Historically, many franchise
agreements have required cable franchisees to pay for non-capital PEG-related costs, including
salaries, training, travel expenses, rent, and some maintenance expenses. Going forward, cable
franchisees that are required to pay a 5% franchise fee probably will be able to deduct these PEG
costs from the franchise fees they pay LFAs.
It is difficult to measure the impact that the FCC rules have had on PEG funding and on the
financial viability of PEG access centers because neither the FCC, nor the PEG community, nor
the cable industry has collected data on the levels and stability of PEG funding sources that might
shed light on the impact, if any, of the FCC rules. For example, how common had it been for
LFAs to require cable franchisees to make payments, over and above the 5% franchise fee, for
PEG operations (as opposed to PEG capital costs)? In those cases, what are the realistic
alternative funding options available for operating costs? To what extent, if at all, are private
donations and foundation grants feasible options? If these options might be feasible in the long-
run, but not short-run, how would PEG access centers stay afloat during the interim period?
The CAP Act would remove the distinction between capital and non-capital cost funding
requirements and overrule the funding limitations in the FCC rules, setting higher caps on the
amount of PEG funding a local jurisdiction could require. It would explicitly allow a local
jurisdiction to continue to require a cable operator to provide PEG support, over and above any
mandated franchise fee, up to the limits set in the bill.
NCTA opposes these CAP Act provisions overruling the FCC rules, claiming they would increase
cable company costs and thus put upward pressure on cable rates and would place cable
companies at a competitive disadvantage with satellite operators, which do not have PEG
requirements.64
The Transition from Analog to Digital Cable Channels and PEG
Channel Placement
Cable systems can transmit as many as six standard-definition digital signals (or one high-
definition digital signal) over the same amount of bandwidth as is needed to transmit a single
standard-definition analog signal. As a result, cable operators are migrating their programming
from analog signal transmission to digital signal transmission in order to free up bandwidth for
high-definition and video-on-demand services.
To receive programming transmitted digitally, subscribers must have either a digital television set
(rather than an analog set) or a set-top box capable of converting digital signals to analog signals.
A separate set-top box is required for each analog television set. Over time, more and more
64 See “The Community Access Preservation Act (“CAP Act”) Is Bad for Consumers, Video Competition, and Local
Municipalities,” National Cable & Telecommunications Association release, May 2011,
http://www.ncta.com/DocumentBinary.aspx?id=974.
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households will purchase digital television sets, motivated by the desire to receive the superior
quality digital (and, especially, high-definition) signals. Recognizing the desirability of digital
signals, cable operators charge more for a digital service tier than for an analog service tier.
Today, most households have at least one digital television,65 already subscribe to digital cable
service,66 or have a set-top box capable of converting digital signals to analog. But many
households continue to receive analog cable service without the need for a set-top box or do not
have a set-top box for each television set. The transition to digital cable transmission will require
these households to replace their analog sets with digital sets or to obtain set-top boxes.
The traditional cable providers are migrating from analog to digital transmission of their
programming, but they are making this shift in stages, so that not all programming has yet been
shifted to digital transmission. During the transition, operators are offering popular channels in
both formats—that is, providing the programming on both a digital channel and an analog
channel—but the operators prefer not to tie up their network capacity for both digital and analog
transmission of less popular programming, and therefore many have chosen to provide the lightly
viewed PEG channels only on digital tiers that require a set-top box with a digital tuner for
reception. Cable companies operating in local jurisdictions with a large number of PEG channels
may have a particularly strong incentive to move their PEG channels to a digital tier to save on
bandwidth.
In some cases, the transition from analog to digital cable service will be affected by the terms of
the existing local franchise agreements. Many existing agreements require the cable provider to
continue to make basic analog cable service—primarily the retransmitted local broadcast station
signals and the PEG channels—available to its subscribers even if some or all of those signals
have been digitized. The cable provider cannot require its subscribers to purchase a digital service
tier in order to receive those broadcast and PEG channels and must make set-top boxes available
if those channels have been digitized. However, it may be less clear whether the cable company
can charge for the set-top boxes. Thus, in most localities, if a cable provider were to digitize its
PEG channels, it could not simply place those channels on a digital service tier and require
subscribers to purchase that tier, but it might be able to charge for the set-top boxes required if a
subscriber were to continue to purchase an analog tier. As existing local franchise agreements
expire, new agreements are unlikely to include provisions requiring that basic service be available
in analog format.
The transition from analog to digital cable transmission has perhaps been most visible in
Michigan. Comcast announced in Michigan in 2007 that it would digitize all the PEG channels on
its cable systems and move them to channels in the 900-series. It offered its customers one free
set-top box per household for the first year, after which the normal $4.20 per month leasing fees
would apply; those fees would apply immediately for additional set-top boxes.67 This move was
characterized by Comcast as part of its overall transition from analog service to digital service
and made necessary by the capacity demands created by the relatively large number of PEG
65 The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that 88% of U.S. households own at least one digital television. See
“Mobile Connected Device Sales Bolster Overall 2011 CE Industry Forecast, According to CEA Semi-Annual Report,”
CEA Press Release, July 18, 2011, http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=12121.
66 NCTA reports that as of June 2011 77.1% of basic video customers in the United States subscribe to digital cable
service. See “Industry Data,” http://www.ncta.com/Statistics/aspx.
67 See, for example, Ted Hearn, “U.S. Judge Blocks Comcast’s PEG Move,” Multichannel News, January 15, 2008.
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channels in some Michigan communities. Many other cable companies have followed Comcast’s
lead. For example, Bright House Networks has shifted the PEG channels on its Florida cable
systems to digital and Charter Communications announced that it would digitize its PEG channels
in Wisconsin and in Reno, NV, and move them to channels in the 200- or 900-series.68 Time
Warner has taken similar steps in Texas.
The city of Dearborn and Meridian and Bloomfield Townships filed a lawsuit in federal court in
Detroit to block Comcast’s PEG channel shift, arguing that Comcast planned the change without
consulting the communities, in violation of state and federal law, and that up to 400,000
subscribers statewide who could not afford to pay for a converter box would lose access to
community news.69 The suit also charged that the communities would lose a vital way of
communicating with residents. At the same time, the city of Warren filed a Michigan state lawsuit
in Macomb County Circuit Court to block the shift.70 Both courts placed temporary restraining
orders on Comcast’s move, barring Comcast from moving the PEG channels from their current
location or from converting them to digital without court permission.
Comcast filed a motion to dismiss the federal suit, arguing that the ability of local agreements to
dictate where it places PEG channels was preempted by the 2006 Michigan state video
franchising law and claiming the law freed it to change channel assignments for any
programming on its systems without consulting with programming providers.71 It claimed federal
law does not apply to the channel assignments for non-broadcast cable networks, so the
provisions of the state law prevail. It argued that the PEG channel shift would free low-channel
capacity needed to deliver Internet services and for high-definition digital broadcast television
signals. Comcast also stated that more than two-thirds of its 1.3 million Michigan customers
already have digital basic service, giving them access to the 900-series channels.
Comcast’s action in Michigan prompted a January 29, 2008 oversight hearing by the House
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. At the hearing,
David Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast, apologized for the way in which the matter
was handled in Dearborn and pledged that his company would work with local franchising
authorities, but claimed that Comcast acted within the law when moving the PEG channels to
digital.72 Several Representatives, including then-committee chairman John Dingell, voiced
concerns that the quality and availability of PEG channels not be negatively affected by cable’s
transition from analog to digital service.73 Some critics of the Comcast plan also claim that it fails
68 See Linda Haugsted, “PEGs Push Back on Channel Slamming,” Multichannel News, August 25, 2008.
69 City of Dearborn, et al., v. Comcast of Michigan III, Inc., et al., Case No. 08-10156, United States District Court,
E.D. Michigan, Southern Division. See, also, David Ashenfelter, “Comcast channel changes on hold: Court steps in
amid public access concerns,” Detroit Free Press, January 15, 2008, and Ted Hearn, “U.S. Judge Blocks Comcast’s
PEG Move,” Multichannel News, January 15, 2008.
70 See Herb Kirchhoff, “U.S., Michigan Courts Block Comcast Plan to Move Public Access Channels,”
Communications Daily, January 16, 2008.
71 Ibid.
72 Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Services in the Digital Age, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on
Telecommunications and the Internet of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, Statement
of David L. Cohen, Vice President, Comcast Corporation, January 29, 2008, https://house.resource.org/110/org.c-
span.203829-1.raw.txt. See, also, Cheryl Bolen, “Markey to Interject in FCC Re-Auction if Spectrum Does Not Meet
Reserve Price,” BNA Daily Report for Executives, January 30, 2008, and John Eggerton, “Comcast Defends Michigan
PEG-Channel Capacity,” Broadcasting & Cable, January 29, 2008.
73 See, for example, “Statement of Chairman Dingell at the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
Hearing Entitled, ‘Public Education, and Governmental (PEG) Services in the Digital TV Age.’” January 29, 2008,
(continued...)
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to address the needs of schools that use PEG programming for educational purposes. Many
schools have a television in each classroom, and those schools would have had to rent a converter
box for each classroom.
On October 3, 2008, the U.S. District Court released an order granting in part and denying in part
Comcast’s motion to dismiss.74 Most notably, the order found that:
• Federal law preempts state law as it pertains to PEG channel requirements. Thus
plaintiffs have a right to sue in federal court.
• Plaintiffs do not have a cause of action under section 531(e) of the
Communications Act,75 which prohibits cable operators from exercising any
editorial control over any PEG use of channel capacity.
• The FCC, rather than the court, has special competence to resolve questions
regarding the requirements under section 543(b)(7) of the Communications Act76
relating to the components of the basic tier subject to rate regulation.
The court therefore referred six questions to the FCC and stayed the plaintiffs’ claim relating to
section 543(b)(7) pending a ruling from the FCC. Those questions are:
• When cable operators shift costs to consumers, can a locality act to prevent an
“evasion” of the duty to provide service at reasonable rates?
• Does the requirement to provide PEG channels on the basic service tier apply in
communities where rates are subject to “effective competition?”
• Does the Court look from the consumer’s point of view to determine whether: (a)
a programming service is part of the basic service tier; and (b) digitization of the
PEG channel is “discriminatory” because some customers may be required to
obtain additional equipment to view the channels?
• Are cable operators precluded from charging for equipment used in connection
with the reception of PEG channels on the basic service tier?
• Can PEG channels be digitized, require special equipment to be accessed, and
still be considered available on the basic service tier?
• Is digitization of PEG channels “discriminatory” because some customers may be
required to obtain additional equipment to view the channels?
The plaintiffs in the case filed a petition for declaratory ruling with the FCC on December 9,
2008, seeking answers to these questions.77 The FCC sought public comment on that petition as
(...continued)
http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?q=archive/110th-congress/chairman-dingell-at-the-
subcommittee-on-telecommunications-and-the-internet-1.
74 City of Dearborn, et al., v. Comcast of Michigan III, Inc., et al., Case No. 08-10156, United States District Court,
E.D. Michigan, Southern Division, Order of Victoria A. Roberts, District Judge, October 3, 2008.
75 47 U.S.C. §531(e).
76 47 U.S.C. §543(b)(7).
77 In the Matter of Petition for Declaratory Ruling Regarding Primary Jurisdiction Referral in City of Dearborn et al v.
Comcast of Michigan III, Inc. et al., MB Docket No. 09-13, City of Dearborn Petition for Declaratory Ruling,
December 9, 2008.
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well as on two other petitions covering related issues.78 Hundreds of parties submitted comments,
many in strong opposition to one another.
In February 2010, the three Michigan jurisdictions reached a settlement agreement with Comcast,
under which Comcast would continue to deliver PEG channels in analog format on the limited
basic cable tier in Michigan until the company digitizes the entire limited basic cable tier,
including broadcast channels, or until the community voluntarily agrees to the digitization of the
PEG channels.79 On February 24, 2010, the parties to the settlement jointly filed at the FCC a
“Motion to Withdraw Petition for Declaratory Ruling” and on March 16, 2010, the FCC Media
Bureau chief released an order dismissing the original petition and stating that “the Commission
need not address the issues raised in the Petition.”80
As a result, the FCC chose not to address the policy issues raised in this petition. Nor, to date, has
the Commission chosen to address the issues in the two other petitions that had been consolidated
with the City of Dearborn petition when the FCC sought public comment in December 2008.81
NCTA claims, however, that the Commission already addressed some of those issues in earlier
orders; for example, it claims that the Commission found, in its First Report and Order on the
carriage of digital television signals, that the requirements in section 623(b)(7) of the
Communications Act sunset in any franchise area where there is effective competition.82
In January 2011, the FCC approved the transfer of the licenses of the owned and operated
broadcast NBC and Telemundo television stations from General Electric to Comcast subject to
certain “PEG Conditions.”83 These conditions included:
• Comcast cannot migrate PEG channels to digital delivery in any Comcast cable
system until the system has converted to all-digital distribution (that is, until all
78 “Entities File Petitions for Declaratory Ruling Regarding Public, Educational, and Governmental Programming,”
FCC Media Bureau Public Notice, DA 09-203, February 6, 2009.
79 “Comcast, Dearborn, 2 townships reach legal settlement,” Heritage Newspapers Press & Guide, February 5, 2010,
http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2010/02/05/business/doc4b6899edc0b7d820395061.txt. Similarly, a lawsuit
that a number of local jurisdictions brought against Time Warner in Texas was settled, under which Time Warner was
allowed to transition all PEG channels from analog to digital format on or after January 8, 2011, subject to a number of
conditions. See Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release between Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse
Partnership and the cities of Brownsville, Corpus Christie, Edinburg, Laredo, McAllen, San Juan, San Marcos, and
Weslaco, TX, November 10, 2010, http://www.millervaneaton.com/City%20of%20McAllen%20v%20TWC%20
Final%20Settlement%20Agreement%20 and%20Mutual%20Release%20with%20Signatures%20(3).pdf.
80 In the Matter of Petition for Declaratory Ruling Regarding Primary Jurisdiction Referral in City of Dearborn et al v.
Comcast of Michigan III Inc. et al., MB Docket No. 09-13, CSR-8128, Order, adopted and released March 16, 2010.
81 In the Matter of Petition for Declaratory Ruling on Requirements for a Basic Service Tier and for PEG Channel
Capacity Under Sections 543(b)(7), 531(a) and the Commission’s Ancillary Jurisdiction Under Title I, Petition for
Declaratory Ruling of the City of Lansing, Michigan, MB Docket No. 09-13, File No. CSR-8126, submitted on January
27, 2009, and In the Matter of Petition for Declaratory Ruling that AT&T’s Method of Delivering Public, Educational
and Government Access Channels Over Its U-verse System is Contrary to the Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, and Applicable Commission Rules, Petition for Declaratory Ruling of Alliance for Community Media, et al.,
MB Docket No. 09-13, CSR-8126, submitted on January 30, 2009.
82 In the Matter of Petition for Declaratory Ruling Regarding Primary Jurisdiction in Referral in City of Dearborn et
al. v. Comcast of Michigan III, Inc. et al.; Petition for Declaratory Ruling of the City of Lansing Michigan; Petition for
Declaratory Ruling of the Alliance for Community Media, et al., MB Docket No. 09-13, CSR-8128, 8127, and 8126,
Comments of National Cable & Telecommunications Association, March 9, 2009.
83 In the Matter of Applications of Comcast Corporation, General Electric Company and NBC Universal, Inc. For
Consent to Assign Licenses and Transfer Control of Licenses, MB Docket No. 10-56, Memorandum Opinion and
Order, adopted January 18, 2011 and released January 20, 2011, Appendix A, Section XIV, ¶¶ 1-4.
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analog channels have been eliminated), or until the governmental entity that is
responsible for the system’s PEG operations pursuant to the law of the state in
question otherwise expressly agrees, whichever comes first. Comcast must
provide advance written notice to the system’s franchising authority and to its
local community of its intent to migrate the PEG channels.
• Comcast must carry all PEG channels on its digital starter tier, or on an
equivalent tier that reaches at least 85% of the system’s subscribers.
• Comcast-NBC Universal must not implement a change in the method of delivery
of PEG channels that results in material degradation of signal quality or
impairment of viewer reception of PEG channels, provided that this shall not
prohibit Comcast from implementing new technologies also utilized for
commercial channels carried on its cable systems (including, but not limited to,
digitization and switched digital video). Comcast must continue to meet FCC
signal quality standards when offering PEG channels on its cable systems and
must continue to comply with closed captioning pass-through requirements.
• To enhance localism and strengthen public access, educational, and governmental
programming, Comcast must develop a platform to host PEG content On
Demand and On Demand Online within three years of the closing of the
transaction. (Very specific steps were incorporated into the conditions to meet
this requirement.) This is intended to enhance, not replace, existing traditional
linear PEG channel carriage.
It is likely that, as a result of the successful analog to digital transition of broadcast television in
2009, the transition of PEG channels to digital is having less impact on households today than it
did prior to 2009. But PEG advocates remain concerned that PEG programming is being
discriminated against relative to commercial programming. They are particularly concerned about
the movement of PEG channels from preferred, low-numbered, channel positions to high-
numbered positions (for example, in the 200s or 900s) that are not near other channels—what
PEG advocates have come to call “channel slamming.” The cable operators respond, however,
that PEG channels tend to have very low viewership and therefore should not command prime
channel locations.
The CAP Act includes a signal quality and content provision intended to address some of the
public interest concerns that have arisen during the analog to digital transition. A cable operator
that is required to provide PEG channel capacity must carry signals for PEG use without material
degradation and without altering or removing content or data; make the PEG signals viewable by
every subscriber of the cable system without additional service or equipment charges; and
provide to the appropriate local government subdivision, free of charge, any necessary
transmission services and facilities.
The second provision would appear to prohibit a cable operator that migrates PEG channels from
analog to digital delivery from requiring subscribers to migrate from analog to digital service or
from charging subscribers for a set-top box to receive the digital PEG channels. The CAP Act
also would modify the definition of cable service, making it independent “of the technology or
transmission protocol used in the provision of service” to ensure that cable companies that deploy
new technology, such as Internet Protocol technology, are not excluded from the requirements.
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AT&T’s U-verse Service
AT&T offers its U-verse multichannel video programming distribution service using an all-
Internet Protocol (IP) technology platform. It is building out an optical fiber network to
neighborhood nodes and using the existing copper connections already in place from those nodes
to subscribers’ premises.84 (Each neighborhood node serves several hundred end user customers.)
This is a less capital-intensive alternative to the fiber-to-the-premises network being deployed by
Verizon in its FiOS network.
As copper has less capacity than fiber, the AT&T network does not simultaneously “broadcast”
the signals of multiple video channels all the way to the customer premises, as cable companies
do and as Verizon does with its FiOS network. Rather, it employs IP technology that allows the
subscriber to use the set-top box to “call up” the particular video stream it desires from a
centralized place where the video file is stored—the video hub office serving the designated
market area (DMA) in which the subscriber is located or, if that video stream has already been
requested by a neighbor served by the same neighborhood node, that neighborhood node.
The major constraint on the AT&T U-verse network is the capacity of the copper loop. Currently,
U-verse can provide at most two high-definition channels to a household simultaneously, and for
many customers it can offer only a single high-definition channel at a time. To attain the level of
audio and video signal compression needed to offer service, AT&T must encode the program
signals using MPEG-4 compression methods. (MPEG-4 is an industry standard.)
The content that AT&T receives from programmers is not encoded in MPEG-4 and therefore must
be recoded. Each additional video stream (which appears as a “channel” to a subscriber) imposes
two categories of incremental costs on AT&T: the cost of additional equipment to encode the
programming and the cost of additional dedicated capacity on an AT&T server at a national or
DMA hub to store the video stream. For programming that is provided in a continuing, changing
flow—such as the programming of a cable or broadcast channel or a PEG channel—each
additional video stream requires dedicated encoding equipment to recode the ongoing stream. For
programming that is received once and then stored—such as the program library used for video-
on-demand “channels”—there is no need for dedicated encoding equipment. Encoding equipment
used for one video on demand program can be re-used for another video-on-demand program.
Thus the incremental equipment cost associated with an additional video-on-demand program
selection is lower than that associated with a cable or broadcast network or PEG channel.
AT&T claims that the incremental encoding and server capacity costs associated with an ongoing
video stream, such as that required for a cable or broadcast network or for a PEG channel, is
approximately $200,000. In a large metropolitan area, with many local jurisdictions, each of
which currently has several PEG channels, the upfront incremental cost of offering multiple PEG
channels thus could be several million dollars.85
84 Details about AT&T’s U-verse service are based on a meeting that CRS staff had with AT&T staff on August 11,
2008.
85 At the same time, it is likely that AT&T’s U-verse video revenues, and its network build-out and marketing
expenses, in a large metropolitan area would be substantial and therefore the relative burden of these upfront costs
might not be large.
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AT&T therefore has chosen not to make PEG programming available to subscribers in the same
fashion that it makes commercial programming available. Instead, it treats PEG content the same
way it treats Internet traffic. It has created a separate platform for PEG, with a single channel,
channel 99, at which subscribers can find PEG programming, just as they have one channel for
Internet access. The PEG content is not encoded in MPEG-4. Rather, the subscriber goes to
channel 99 and pulls down a menu that identifies each of the local jurisdictions in the subscriber’s
DMA and, after clicking on the desired jurisdiction, gets a menu that identifies all the PEG
programs for that jurisdiction, for the subscriber to choose from. The selected program is then
downloaded to the user’s set top box.
PEG advocates claim there are a number of problems with this system.86
• The subscriber may experience substantial delay—it can take a minute or more to
first go to channel 99 and then navigate two drop-down menus—in getting to
(and then away from) the chosen PEG program; the program (and the PEG
channel) is not available in the same seamless fashion as non-PEG programming
and channels.
• The PEG programming is not shown on AT&T’s program guide; there is no way
for the subscriber to know what programming is on a PEG channel without going
to the channel.
• The AT&T PEG platform has not been fully accessible to hearing-impaired and
visually-impaired viewers. It appears that AT&T has worked with Microsoft to
better accommodate closed captioning for the hearing-impaired, but it continues
to be difficult for the visually-impaired to perform the channel navigation
required to get to and from PEG channels.
• AT&T PEG platform does not provide the capability to record the programming
on a DVR.
• The picture quality on the AT&T PEG platform is inferior to that on AT&T’s
commercial channels; PEG is transmitted at a lower resolution and the picture
may stutter when displaying rapid motion, as in a sports program.
• By requiring the PEG programmers to deliver their signals to a DMA-wide
geographic area, rather than the local jurisdiction, those programmers may be
liable for additional costs associated with the broader distribution of copyrighted
materials.
On January 30, 2009, a group of PEG advocates filed a petition with the FCC seeking a
declaratory ruling that AT&T’s method of delivering PEG channels over its U-verse system is
contrary to the Communications Act and FCC rules.87 Citing a lack of FCC action on the petition,
the PEG advocates filed another petition in September 2010,88 but to date the Commission has not
86 See, for example, Todd Spangler, “AT&T Knocked for ‘Inferior” PEG Channels,” Multichannel News, January 31,
2008.
87 In the Matter of Petition for a Declaratory Ruling that AT&T’s Method of Delivering Public, Educational and
Government Access Channels Over Its U-verse System Is Contrary to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended,
and Applicable Commission Rules, MB Docket No. 09-13, CSR-8126, Petition for Declaratory Ruling of Alliance for
Community Media, et al., January 30, 2009.
88 See, for example, Jonathan Make, “Lack of FCC Action on PEG Filings Cited in New Petition,” Communications
Daily, September 22, 2010, at pp. 6-7, and Nate Anderson, “FCC asked to probe AT&T treatment of public access
(continued...)
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acted on the petitions. In July 2011, American Community Television announced that PEG
advocates asked eight state attorneys general to investigate PEG inaccessibility for the blind and
visually impaired over AT&T’s U-verse service.89 American Community Television also has
called for the FCC to condition approval of the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger on the
fulfillment of specific PEG commitments, analogous to the PEG conditions (discussed in the
previous section of this report) that were part of the FCC order approving the transfer of
broadcast licenses in the Comcast-NBC Universal merger.90
AT&T has filed detailed comments opposing the petitions for declaratory ruling.91 It explains that
its IP network architecture is fundamentally different from the architectures used by the cable
companies and Verizon, and contends that it is inappropriate to require it to deploy its network
inefficiently in order to meet requirements conceived for traditional cable architecture. It argues
that, even though its U-verse service is not a cable service and therefore not subject to the PEG
requirements in the Communications Act and in FCC rules, the U-verse service nevertheless fully
meets all those requirements. It also claims that its provision of PEG access offers subscribers
three benefits: subscribers can view the PEG programming of all the local jurisdictions in their
DMA, not just the programming of their specific community; channel 99 is an easy-to-remember,
prime channel location; and PEG programming will be in a digital format that can easily be used
for the Web, which enables communities to more easily provide the same content over the
Internet.
AT&T and its critics in the PEG community have constructed, and made available online, dueling
videos that purport to show, respectively, the virtues and the vices of AT&T’s U-verse provision
of PEG programming. AT&T’s video is available at http://uverseonline.att.net/uverse/peg; its
critics’ video is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlJ6Wtk1cqc.
The CAP Act does not directly address these issues relating to PEG accessibility on AT&T’s U-
verse service, although the provision requiring cable companies to carry signals for PEG use from
the point of origin of the signals to subscribers without material degradation and without altering
or removing content or data provided, with the clarification that cable service is defined without
regard to technology or transmission protocol, would provide a statutory basis for ensuring that
the PEG channels provided by AT&T include closed captioning for the hearing impaired.
Local Institutional Networks (I-nets)
An institutional network is a communications system capable of transmitting video, voice, and/or
data signals over optical fiber, coaxial cable, or both, among governmental, educational, and
(...continued)
channels,” ArsTechnica, http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/02/atts-u-verse-faces-fcc-complaint-over-peg-
channels.ars.
89 “Attorneys General in Eight States Asked to Investigate U-verse PEG Inaccessibility for the Blind and Vision
Impaired,” American Community Television, July 14, 2011, available at http://acommunitytv.org by first selecting
“news” in the drop-down menu and then selecting “July 2011.”
90 “American Community Television Calls for PEG Commitments in the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger,” American
Community Television press release, March 29, 2011, http://acommunitytv.org/2011/03/american-community-
television-calls-for-peg-commitments-in-the-attt-mobile-merger/.
91 Comments of AT&T Opposing Petitions for Declaratory Ruling.
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possibly other nonresidential users.92 Many local governments have required cable operators to
construct and maintain, or in some fashion provide support for, an institutional network as a
condition for the initial grant, transfer, or renewal of a cable franchise. Section 611(b) of the
Communications Act93 allows a franchising authority to require a cable franchisee to set aside
channel capacity on an institutional network constructed or operated by the cable operator for
educational or governmental use.
In the past, when cable systems typically were designed only to transmit television programming
one way from cable operators to residential users, cable operators generally dedicated a limited
number of channels to governmental and educational use or constructed stand-alone cable
systems for that purpose. Today, cable systems routinely are constructed as hybrid fiber/coaxial
cable networks with sufficient capacity and two-way capabilities to accommodate I-net
requirements in a single integrated system. In some recent franchise agreements, local
governments have obtained a number of “dark” optical fibers in addition to, or in lieu of, channel
capacity, and are furnishing the end-user electronic equipment necessary to “light” the fibers
themselves—providing vast amounts of broadband capacity at low cost.
These new generation I-nets can support a broad range of uses, including high-speed Internet and
intranet access; large-file uploads and downloads; program and data sharing within and among
city departments and offices; geographic information system mapping (including graphic, tax,
zoning, utility, right of way, legal, and other information in a single database that is searchable
from any location); video conferencing; distance learning; vocational training; medical imaging;
traffic control; environmental monitoring; management of water, sewer, and electric utilities;
remote meter reading; video arraignments and depositions; video surveillance and security;
emergency services; advanced library services and cataloguing; computer assisted design and
computer assisted manufacturing; city-side or area-wide PBX-like 4-digit dialing; and direct
access to long distance providers, avoiding local access charges.
According to a fact sheet on I-nets prepared by the Baller Herbst Law Group, which represents
many state municipal leagues and local governments on communications and utilities issues, the
National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) conducted a
survey, to which 48 communities with I-nets responded, that found that in 56% of these
communities, the cable operator built all or most of the I-net; in 13%, a telephone company built
all or most of the I-net; and in 44% the local government itself built all or substantial components
of the I-net.94 In 44% of those communities, the cable operator owns and maintains all or a
portion of the I-net; in 19% a telephone company does so; and in 67% the local government owns
and maintains all or a portion of the I-net. 25% of the responding communities share operations
with a cable company and 19% share operations with a telephone company or electric utility.
The new statewide franchising laws tend not to require new entrants to provide I-nets in their
areas of operation if the incumbent cable company has already provided these facilities and there
is no identified need to construct redundant networks. Some of these laws also would reduce or
92 The following description of institutional networks comes from a report entitled “The FAQs about Institutional
Networks,” prepared by the Baller Herbst Law Group, http://www.baller.com/library-art-faq.html.
93 47 U.S.C. §611(b).
94 These percentages, reported by the Baller Herbst Law Group at http://www.baller.com/library-art-faq.htm, exceed
100%, suggesting either that some of the communities that responded to the survey had multiple I-nets or counted both
the local government and the cable or telephone company when the task for building the I-net was shared.
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eliminate the I-net requirements in existing local franchise agreements or require the jurisdiction
to pay the incremental cable network costs associated with providing the I-net.
When the Alliance for Community Media performed an online survey of its members and
NATOA members from around the country in May 2008 to assess the impact of statewide laws,95
it sought information on how the laws affected educational and governmental access channels and
I-nets as well as public access channels. Of the 204 respondents, 26% reported a loss of or
reduction in public cable drops in schools, libraries, and other public centers and 41% reported a
loss of or reduction to services to I-nets that connect PEG facilities to schools and government
institutions. These survey results must be viewed with some caution, however. The survey was
not scientifically performed; PEG programmers or local officials who have experienced
reductions in support likely would have had a greater incentive to participate in the online survey.
Cable providers’ I-net requirements may also have been clouded by the recent FCC orders which
created ambiguity about what constitutes capital costs (and, therefore, what can be charged over
and above the 5% franchise fee).
Author Contact Information
Charles B. Goldfarb
Specialist in Telecommunications Policy
cgoldfarb@crs.loc.gov, 7-7252
95 “Assessing the Damage: Survey shows that state video franchise laws bring no rate relief while harming public
benefits,” reported results of a May 2008 online survey conducted by the Alliance for Community Media,
http://www.cantv.org/keepusconnected/Harm-Survey-Report.pdf.
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