Government-access television


Government-access television is a type of specialty television channel created by government entities and broadcast over cable TV systems or, in some cases, over-the-air broadcast television stations. GATV programming generally deals with public affairs, board meetings, explanation of government services, and other public-service related programming such as public service announcements and longer public information films.
In the United States, laws regarding GATV are contained in the US Code, title 47, section 531, and are enforced by the Federal Communications Commission. Since cable systems are privately owned entities, the must-carry requirement for GATV channels is often drawn out in local franchising agreements for the municipality or county it operates in.
GATV is often associated with public-access television, such as with the term PEG channels.

Statewide government access channels