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Keep Public Channels Accessible

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 8, 2007

Bright House plans to move public TV channels into the upper end of its listings later next year, which means some viewers will have to pay for a digital cable box to continue watching meetings of the county commission, school board and city council, plus educational programs and citizen-produced shows.

The unfortunate change is allowed under a new state law that shifts most regulation of cable service to the state level. Protections for the government stations are proving inadequate and need tightening by the Legislature next year.

Rep. Trey Traviesa of Tampa should take the lead, since he championed the change. His law is beneficial to cable providers and their customers, but he should listen to the many elected officials and citizens who are unhappy with Bright House's plans.

Cable providers should keep the channels that broadcast public meetings in the lower tier, where viewers can easily find them.

Of less concern are the government promotional shows, self-promoting politicians and offensive kooks who have eroded support for public-access channels.

The new Consumer Choice Act can better protect government channels without compromising its goal of improving cable competition and giving consumers better deals.

Lawmakers should take another look at the law's unintended effect on the visibility of our local governments.

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