I would like to share my comments which I recently submitted in an online discussion about Telecom space.

Public Access centers are much more than the content that comes through them. Telecom space is what it is. Telecom space is space that is controlled by and to serve the interest of the telecom industry.

In my city WCCA TV, our Public Access Center, serves one interest and that is the interest of the people our communities throughout our city.

It is the public access center, particularly the non-profit facilitated access centers that have been the first to really experiment and played a lead role in the development of IP TV and video content driven websites. PEG offers more than packet files of video however. In a Public Access Centers, such as ours, you will find thousands of content producers participating in a community contributing to cable presentations, up and down loading video content, creating community interactive websites, sharing information, conducting workshops and classes, youth media groups, forming outreach partnerships, providing connections for those in need including valuable outreach for millions of non-profits around the nation and so much more. Our Public Access Center, like many others, give back millions of dollars of media, public service to benefit our citizens local economy every year.
The truth is, Public Access centers have been the first to introduce, provide experiential learning opportunities, and promote video applications via the Internet. Furthermore, Public Access centers have introduced and continue to offer, on a daily basis, hands on training, access to media production tools, computers, and personal consulting and assistance to meet the electronic needs of their communities. The result has been a increase of content up and down loading, as well as an increase of interactive media. This deserves to be celebrated as democratic and free speech media/television at its best. Not the static television paradigm that commercial media tends to produce.
It may be true that some examples of cable companies and local governments are seen as stonewalling, or cordoning off public access video presentations. People aren’t aware of the programming because many cable operators refuse to include PEG channels on their program guides. Political whim, ignorance and corruption, and or the failure of local government often play a role in diminishing the capacity of a public access center. Cable companies and government entities rarely, if ever, prioritize public access programming. Most non-profit public access centers however, at the center of their mission, place the public/community voices (content) as a first priority and in addition, work hard to promote it make the public aware of it. Non-profit Public access centers also give control to content producers to post videos online, present their shows on cable. In addition most public access centers provide professional staff assistance to train, and to ensure content producers can reach their vision. Our access center also is the paramount beacon, in our city, to advocate for community voices and free speech electronic platforms. In our city 91% of those surveyed find our public access channel important.
Interest in local content exists because of our public access PEG channels. I suggest that what needs to be done is to increase legislative mandates to further support Public Access channels and to ensure non-profit facilitated centers are encouraged to continue to move forward to carry their missions on all modes of transmission be it fiber, broadband, wireless, satellite, and whatever will next be invented. Perhaps mandates should also be enacted to assure every city and town must carry a fully functional public access center. The one problem we face, at least locally, at the moment, is a city that may fail to include public access on its new telecommunication infrastructure. This challenges us to find ways to reach beyond the limitations of one cable operator. However, in spite of the lack of city or government in this area we do manage to be seen around the world through our stream or download offerings. It is not without difficulty. I imagine that if we, as a funded public access center are financially challenged to maintain such service how would poorer individuals participate at all in a PEG .20 venue without totally free equipment, connection and access? There are many great public access centers. Check out what WCCA TV has been doing to celebrate and enfranchise citizens, engage and share stories, culture and heritage, through locally produced content. I invite you to visit http://www.wccatv.com . Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your support.
Mauro DePasquale, WCCA TV 13, “The People’s Channel”

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