ASK MR. SUN:

Does the Las Vegas area have any kind of public access channels?

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Ask Mr. Sun

Is Las Vegas windier than Chicago? (7-14-09)

Public access cable seems a bit of a throwback with the widespread availability of YouTube and other Internet sites. Why impress seven people in your area who can’t find the cable remote when there’s a world of Web surfers to entertain?

But that wasn’t the question. So to answer, there is no public access programming on the area’s cable system.

The federal Cable Franchise Policy and Communications Act has since the mid-1980s allowed local governments, if they desire, to require the local cable franchise to provide “PEG” programming — public, education and government — without exercising any control over it.

When Cox Communications obtained its franchise in 1998, the municipalities that issued the franchise agreements — Boulder City, Clark County, North Las Vegas and Las Vegas — decided cable TV would stick to education and government and leave the public out of it.

The results are channels 2 and 4, which air government programming for Las Vegas and Clark County, and 110 and 111, which air education programming provided by CSN, UNLV and the School District.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

By DMCVegas

7/21/09 at 9:53 a.m.

Suggest removal

And of course neither Cox, nor The Las Vegas Sun, the Review Journal, the Las Vegas Weekly, or any other media subsidiary of Greenspun Corporation have ever challenged this since the Greenspun family owns interest in all of these media outlets. Heaven forbid there was a major public forum to reach everyone that could have stopped the unchecked construction or even challenged any joint projects that Greenspun eventually profited from. It's just more convenient to claim that government bureaucracy is really the problem.

It would seem that the "Good Old Boy System" that Hank Greenspun fought against, his family and businesses are now the censorship arm of.
By CarsonNewshound

7/21/09 at 4:36 p.m.

Suggest removal

The internet is more effective. Cable's share of the market place is shrinking anyway.
By hooloogoo

7/22/09 at 12:29 p.m.

Suggest removal

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By CarsonNewshound

7/27/09 at 8:07 a.m.

Suggest removal

The cable ratepayers in Las Vegas are giving their elected leaders a publically subsidized video bullhorn to sell government's version of political, economic and taxation reality. It's a surcharge on their tax bill. LV is the only town in Nevada that charges for public access but doesn't deliver public access.

Yes...it's good to be king...if you're the king...