The Ten Core Values of Public Access TV

1. Localism: Public Access TV supports local viewpoints, local perspectives, and the interests of local communities. Most mainstream media programming is intended for national audiences and does not reflect the rich diversity of American community life. Local communities must be able to make and air media that reflects the local experiences.
2. Democracy: Our society is founded on a belief in freedom of expression and free speech. Democracy works best when a wide array of voices and opinions can be seen and heard. Public Access TV is one of the nation’s richest “market-places of ideas”.
3. Diversity: The First Amendment says everyone has the right to voice their opinion; no-one will agree with everything they see on Public Access TV, but we should all support the fundamental right of everyone to have the opportunity to speak their mind.
4. Access For All: Public Access TV is committed to serving all communities whether large or small (Narrowcasting). Commercial television’s dependence on advertising revenue forces it to appeal to the largest audience possible, and to sink to the lowest common denominator. A basic tenant of civil society is that the lives of all members of the community are important, and all members of society should be able to represent themselves in the media. In our ‘digital-divide’ era, equal access to the media is more important than ever for underserved, low income, and communities of color.
5. Universal Service: Everyone should be able to be connected to video-service if they choose to be. Video Service companies must serve all communities and not just ‘cherry-pick’ the most profitable ones.
6. Non-Commercial: Public Access TV is an essential component in our public-media ‘green-space’ where, like a public park, we can reflect on who we are without the interference of commercial values.
7. Local Government: Many of the decisions that most affect our lives are made at the local level by city councils, school boards, mayors, and so on. Community Access TV keeps the public informed about local government elections, about health services, about public housing, and about other important local political and economic development activities. The mainstream media is notoriously ineffective at covering local government issues. Community Access TV is an important part of our system of local government.
8. Education: Public, Educational and Government (PEG) TV plays an important role in our educational system. It provides channels for use by schools, libraries and colleges; and it is especially important for the education of low-income and rural communities.
9. Public Safety: In many areas Community Access TV provides channels for emergency information and community alerts.
10. Electronic Greenspace: All communication using the Public-Right-Of-Way or Public-Airwaves should provide space for Community Access Media.