Rutland Herald Article on State of Access TV

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 Article published Mar 6, 2016
The state of public access
By STEVEN M. PAPPAS

Staff Writer


On Town Meeting Day, floor debates from a handful of Vermont communities were accessible on television, or streamed live on the Internet. Many of the at-home viewers who tuned in have spent years also watching their neighbors in public meetings. Or they have taken in performances from local schools, or tuned in to forums or lectures — all from a wide selection of television programming produced by Vermonters for Vermonters.

Public, Educational and Governmental access, or PEG, got its origins from the Cable Communications Act of 1984 that required cable companies to set aside channels for locally-produced content. Today there are 25 PEG cable stations across Vermont, serving nearly all of the 251 towns and cities.

According to the Vermont Access Network, the umbrella organization that represents all of the state’s public access stations, nearly 16,000 hours of “original programs” were produced last year.

“Public access in Vermont, along with other independent media, lays a firm foundation for building on 40 years of localism on television paired with thoughtful, insightful journalism to support conversations among Vermonters of differing views as we take on the issues facing us in the 21st century,” said Scott Campitelli, executive director of RETN in Burlington.


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