TV Freedom Urges CAP Act Passage

Broadcaster-backed TVFreedom has again called on Congress to pass the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act, and to do so this session.

Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) on May 8 reintroduced the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act, which would ensure funding for, and access to, public, educational and government (PEG) channels.

Broadcasters, led by TVFreedom, have been fighting cable efforts to include a prohibition on basic-tier status for retrans stations, so they share with PEG proponents the goal of preserving their respective basic tier positions.

“Our Nation’s laws and policies must help advance the long-term viability of local television channels,” said TVfreedom spokesman Robert C. Kenny. “Like local broadcast TV stations, PEG access channels serve and integral role in American culture, helping keep television viewers informed about what is going on in their hometowns and serving as the primary source of educational and local government programming in cities, towns and suburbs across the country.”

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.