By Mauro DePasquale, Executive Director, WCCA TV 13

The Community Access Preservation Act was introduced October 7, 2009, by Representative Tammy Baldwin (WI-2). It is an a important piece of legislation for Public, Educational and Government (PEG) Access Centers.

What Will It Do?

Much stronger language is need to guarantee funding assurances for non-profit public access institutions, such as WCCA TV. However, this is a good first step. 1. It removes the distinction between “capital” and “operating” in PEG support fees. PEG support fees that are collected from subscribers by the cable operators can only be used for “capital and equipment” and not for operational overhead.

The CAP Act will eliminate that part of the Telecommunications Act that prevents PEG centers from using PEG support for their operating expenses.

Right now, access centers are having to close their doors because, even though they receive money for buildings and equipment, they do not have or are losing money for operations. The CAP Act will allow centers to spend the PEG support fees as they see fit to keep the centers open and keep the channels on the air. Continue reading Please join us in asking our friends in Congress to support the CAP Act HR 3745 →