from: USTV Media [1]

Telcos Offer ‘Consumer Choice’, But What About Citizen Voice?

June 3rd, 2007 by Andy in Media and Democracy

There is a lot of talk surrounding the policy debates over eliminating local video franchising about the need to provide for ‘consumer choice.’ The fact is that local franchising does not in any way restrict the ability for any company to provide for that choice that so desires to do so. One vitally important factor which continues to be shortchanged in the plans being put forth by the telco corporations is that these video franchise changes being proposed will to all intents and purposes effectively eliminate cable access channels as we know them today. These corporations keep talking about ‘consumer choice’, but what about ‘citizen voice’? What makes access so unique and invaluable is that the choice it provides for is that of citizen voice, giving people the choice to express their voice over what is still the predominant instrument of media of our time, that being the medium of television.

Access provides the ability for local communities, municipalities, educational institutions, and every day citizens, to expand television from being simply a passive consumptive device to becoming an active tool of communication. One that represents a practical real world realization of some of the highest American ideals, being a shared public forum of, by and for the people, for their local communities and for the governmental representatives whom are (theoretically, at least) in office to directly serve them as well.

Ensuring the survival of this uniquely American institution is not about preserving a certain type of media technology, whether its cable television, the internet, or what have you. It is about our fundamental RIGHTS as citizens to have ACCESS to this all important medium of communication, and the freedom and ability to use it to create, deliver and receive from amongst all members of our society. The laws governing it should thusly be responsive to those same citizens who are affected by and reap the many rewards provided by having these public services available to them, and not written by corporations that are implementing their own self-serving business plans dressed up under the guise of ‘public legislation’, which so many of these state video franchise bills around the nation clearly appear to be.

- Andy Valeri, USTV Media