How can they show THAT on Channel 2?

A Message from the Executive Director

The two most important words in our name are "community" and "access." Community Access Television is just what the name implies, an electronic forum for anyone who wishes to become a member and take the appropriate classes. Anyone who lives or works in the City of Erie or belongs to an organization based in the city can become a CAT member and have access to our channel.

What you see on our channel is determined by our members. Most of our programming is actually produced by them-either private individuals or community-based organizations.

Sometimes viewers tell me, "There ought to be a law about what I saw on Channel 2 last night!" There is a law; the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and it guarantees that "Congress shall pass no law abridging the freedom of speech..." Basically any member of CAT, which could include your neighbor or your coworker or yourself, is free to say or do anything he or she wants on their own CATV program, provided that they can assure us that their program does not contain any illegal content. This illegal content is defined, in part, by our agreement with Erie Cablevision and the City of Erie.

We have agreed to maintain a public forum for the free expression of ideas- even ideas you or I might despise! - as long as we prohibit all of the following types of content in programs:

• Commercials or advertising
• Libel or slander
• Obscenity and pornography
• Any violation of copyrights, publicity rights, or invasion of privacy
• Any violation of FCC regulations
• Any violation of any local, state, or federal law.
  
  If you see something on this channel which does not fall into one of the above categories, but which upsets you anyway, you have the right to join us at CAT, and learn how to produce your own program or message on the channel, to counteract the programming that upsets you. As Supreme Court Justice Brandeis said: "The appropriate response to repugnant speech is not less speech, but more."
  
  If you would like to know how the FCC defines obscenity, and the very different type of content called "indecency," you may read their Consumer Fact Sheet at www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/obscene.html.

While Community Access Television is not directly regulated by this FCC policy, which is applied to broadcasters like the network stations, we do follow this policy, especially the scheduling of so-called adult programming after 10:00PM

If you have any question about our programming or policies, you may call me at 814-454-2226, or write me at: