STARTING UP PUBLIC ACCESS IN YOUR AREA
Go for the Franchise Agreement... Where to begin!

The first step in bringing Public Access to your area is to form an ad hoc group of individuals who may have issues to bring before the public and who would like to be able to present their ideas on cable television. If you have cable television service in your community, you should begin negotiating with your governing body, usually a city council. The city manager is normally the person you would contact initially.
Set up a meeting with your group and the city manager or representative and let he or she know that your community wants Public Access available, and that you wish for the city to request a channel or channels for this use. The cable company will undoubtedly be aware of the FCC mandate about their company providing PEG (Public, Educational, and Governmental) access to their subscribers. However, the city manager or staff may...or may not be aware of the laws and their requirements. It may be up to you and your ad hoc group to enlighten the city. If they are aware, ask them when you will be offered Public Access on your cable system.
A franchise agreement may already be in place between the city and the cable company. You should immediately obtain a copy, and look for the provisions for PEG or Public Access. A copy can be obtained from the city clerk of your municipality, usually for the the cost of copying it from their records. The city MUST provide this information.
Once you have a copy of the franchise agreement in your hands, read it carefully, and contact this association for further assistance. Use the California address of Public Access Awareness to contact us.