At its June national convention, the League of Women Voters (LWV) adopted a position on “digital equity” that calls for universal high speed broadband access and “access to public, educational and governmental (PEG) media” and “high quality transmission.” Pua Ford, an Alliance for Community Media member from Connecticut, who is also on the Rural Affairs Caucus for the LWV, played a significant role in pushing the inclusion of PEG media, which many Leagues use across the country in their coverage of candidates standing for elective office.
The policy enables (but does not require) state and local Leagues to advocate for PEG to their respective governments with permission from the national LWV on particular actions.
The LWV position statement on PEG community media as passed in June at the national convention:
Community Access and Public Affairs Media
The League of Women Voters believes that community access media – for Public, Educational, and Governmental programming (PEG) – must be adequately protected, promoted, and funded, regardless of the provider of media services. Statewide public affairs programming must be adequately protected, promoted, and funded by state legislatures and available to all residents, regardless of the provider of media services. Government should provide opportunities for citizen participation in decisions regarding community access, or PEG media.
Access to public affairs programming through modern media communication is essential to the public interest and to League of Women Voters’ mission and purpose-- to protect civil liberties, to ensure open, transparent government, and to promote the public’s right to know. To protect the public interest, high quality PEG transmission and PEG availability on basic service tiers and on the internet are essential.
You can find more here.
