We will be attending the City of Atlanta Utilities Committee meeting TODAY at 10:30 am in a show of support for People TV.
Corruption, distortion of public discourse through corporate-owned media, and suppression of free speech are all ways in which the 1% make it harder for the 99% to make their voices heard. The antidote to these ills is the exercise of free speech, citizen journalism, and accountability in all aspects of public life. That must include supporting the means and the media through which the voice of the people can speak. People TV, Comcast channel 24, is set up so that anyone can come in, take a class, and produce a TV show. It is therefore truly a means of public access to a powerful medium through which information and ideas are transmitted. It should be protected. Instead, it is under threat of being shut down after thirty years. The purpose of the 1984 Cable Franchise Policy and Communications Act is to require that cable channels provide a venue for public access. The Mayor and City Council have an obligation to seek the public’s interest in this matter; they have the power to appoint members to the Board of Directors who are strongly invested in the day to day management of People TV and who will encourage it to thrive. Franchise fees which every Comcast customer pays on his or her monthly bill are earmarked for public access television. Those funds, which are available and already intended for this purpose, currently go into the City of Atlanta general fund.
Occupy Atlanta along with the rest of the Occupy movement is based on the premise that as traditional avenues of free exercise of our rights have been shut down or subverted, we must take to the streets in order for our voices to be heard. Public access television along with other avenues of free speech is under attack all over the country and in the city of Atlanta. We are strong advocates for free speech through all means of communication including public access channels like People TV.
Why is this not announced on our social media?
Yeah, I’m concerned this wasn’t discussed sooner. I was already looking into public television for various reasons (perhaps even an Occupy Channel) and I would’ve liked to attend had I been given a little more notice! Can someone please update about what was discussed??
People TV has long not been an avenue for public access. Instead it has been given over to the manipulations of a governing board of political appointees. The City had allowed that board to restrict what had been an open first come first serve access operation, the only way the First Amendment could be served, so that in the end virtually all live call-in programming had been eliminated, hours had been severely cut, and it appears the studios used to support private interests. Indeed, in one instance we had absolute proof of such use.
I myself had produced a live call-in show for many years. Indeed, at one point much earlier when it was rumored that access was going to be ended or severely restricted I staged a make believe occupation and take over of the studios complete with a make believe confrontation with police and security.
Occupation of the studios and continuous 24/7 production would be a great an appropriate action for Occupy Atlanta. There are a number of serious obstacles that would need to be considered like maintaining services like power, water, sewer, let alone ensuring that the cable company does not cut the cable connection.
Occupation would be the appropriate and just action where the City has collaborated with the PTV management to restrict access and control content, not to mention find ways to get rid of those of us that presented a radical challenge to the city, like with the invasion of Iraq my supporting the resistance to the invasion and seeking the defeat of the U.S. imperialist military.
The present attempt to preserve the channel really seeks to preserve a dead corpse. Any continuation of PTV operations must first get rid of the monstrous current management whose only interest is preserving her sixty thousand per yearly wage and in that interest also restricting content. I say this although one of the people involved is a dear friend of many years but who does not seem to have any way to gain control for those who would produce and who should be free to produce and say whatever they want.
I would say that any occupation that would fly would only do so if it is clearly supported by a legal operation where we plan in advance the legal work that would be necessary to retain control and the aforementioned services. I certainly think, have thought for many years, that a firm legal basis exists. Indeed there is case law that makes clear that government cannot set up an open First Amendment Forum and then capriciously shut it down or restrict access for content reasons.
Jack Jersawitz
404-892-1238
bigjackjj@yahoo.com