Biddeford Public Access Television

By JILL STEWART | Biddeford

On April 7, the Biddeford City Council will hear a statement from the reestablished 2026 Biddeford Cable Television Committee, which will speak in support of reviving the Biddeford PEG (Public, Educational, Government) Access Television station.

Residents supportive of Biddeford PEG Access are encouraged to attend. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at Biddeford City Hall.

Countless taxpayers believe community-owned hyperlocal programming that reflects their lives is still crucial to their quality of life, civic engagement, and democratic process.

During the 2020 pandemic, the Biddeford PEG Access building temporarily closed its doors to the public. After it reopened, and six years later, Biddeford PEG Access has never recovered, showing only city government and school meetings, past content, and a spattering of new programs submitted by a precious few, dedicated local producers.

Much of the regular programming important to viewers disappeared, leaving residents asking, “Where did our local stories go?”

But the pandemic was not the only blow to Biddeford PEG Access. A major assault to PEG Access across the country began around 2008, when cable company legal teams lobbied for and won drastic reductions of franchise fees that stations relied upon to survive. This whittled hundreds of PEG Access stations down to its government channel, or caused their complete closure.

In 2019, a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) action called “Third Report and Order” led to the demise of hundreds more. The recently proposed American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025, currently working its way through the legislative pipeline, is the latest attempt to decimate PEG Access.

The second main cause of the downward trend is of course the outbreak of online and streaming platforms, and the steadily rising cost of cable services, shifting viewers away from traditional cable TV.

The good news?

The future of PEG Access across the country is brighter than many realize, and innovation is the reason why. PEG Access now has a much broader reach, expanding its programming to websites and social media. And it is capitalizing on new funding sources that tap non-municipal revenue streams, no longer relying entirely on disappearing cable franchise fees.

The need for PEG Access in our towns and cities is more important now than ever before. And in Biddeford, we hope the city council will give the green light to rebuild this critical local community-building resource into a fully functioning Public, Education, and Government Access communication hub.

If you cannot attend the April 7 meeting, but still want to support Community Access, call city councilors to let them know. CONTACT INFO HERE

Additionally, urge members of Congress to support PEG Access and pass the Protecting Community Television Act.

For more information visit: https://www.naco.org/resources/support-protecting-community-television-act

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Jill Newman of Biddeford serves on the city’s Cable Television Committee.

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