WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 1994
LARGE
THERE
GIVE
CONCEPT THE
APPEARS TO HAVE BEGUN IN THE
OF UNITED STATES AMERICA, BASED ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH BEHIND THE FIRST AMENDMENT, AND MADE POSSIBLE BY SURPLUS CHANNEL CAPACITY ON THE NUMBERS OF LOCALISED CABLE SYSTEMS WHICH WERE FIRST ESTABLISHED BEFORE BEING ESTABLISHED IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY. THE IDEA WAS TO THE PUBLIC A VOICE ON BROADCAST TELEVISION, INDEPENDENT OF THAT CONTROLLED BY MEDIA-MONOPOLIES.
AN IT WAS NOT ABOUT TELEVISION AS
OR ENTERTAINMENT
INFORMATION MEDIUM: IT WAS ABOUT COMMUNITY COMMUNICATION. WHEREAS COMMERCIAL TELEVISION WAS BROADCASTING, AIMED LARGE AND DIVERSIFIED AUDIENCE, ACCESS WAS REGARDED AS NARROW AT A CASTING AIMED
OF COMMON BOND AT A SMALL, AUDIENCE WITH PERHAPS ONE INTEREST. THUS BROADCASTING WAS ONE-WAY AND PASSIVE, ACCESS TWO-WAY AND VERY MUCH PARTICIPATORY.
THESF
THAT CHANNELS,
IN 1972 THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC) RULED THE LARGER CABLE SYSTEMS IN USA MUST OPEN UP PUBLIC ACCESS THESE WERE TO BE FREE TO THE SUBSCRIBER AND WERE TO PROVIDE EDUCATION
GOVERNMENT ACCESS ACCESS,
AND PUBLIC ACCESS.
ACCESS WERE IMPOSED UPON THE CABLE OPERATORS REQUIREMENTS
IN RETURN FOR ALLOWING THEM ΤΟ USE COMMERCIAL AND PUBLIC BROADCASTING OFF-AIR CHANNELS FREE OF CHARGE.
WHICH
FROM
AT THE SAME TIME, A MARKEDLY DIFFERENT SITUATION WAS DEVELOPING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WHERE CABLE TV SYSTEMS HAD NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED AS
BRITISH EARLY AS IN THE USA. INSTEAD, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT THE BROADCASTING CORPORATION ESTABLISHED A COMMUNITY PROGRAMME UNIT
INTO RESEARCHED
INPUT STORIES OF LOCAL CONCERN AND OFTEN WITH INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC PRODUCED PROGRAMMES MAINLY OF A DOCUMENTARY TYPE THAT WERE BROADCAST WEEKLY AT A PARTICULAR TIME SLOT.
DEVELOPED PRACTICE
NOT IN A RATHER AD HOC MANNER AND
IN THE SYSTEMATIC AND STRUCTURED MANNER OF THE AMERICAN SITUATION.
THIS
OF
SINCE THEN, A NUMBER OF OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES HAVE INTRODUCED MAINLY ON PAC-TYPE SERVICES IN CONJUNCTION WITH CABLE SYSTEMS BASED THE U.S. MODEL. MOST HAVE MET WITH A DEGREE OF SUCCESS BUT THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS THE SERIOUSNESS OF WHICH SHOULD NOT BE UNDER-ESTIMATED.
THE U.S. IN
WHILE ORGANISATION OF THE CHANNELS HAS WORKED WELL AND FUNDING HAS BEEN ADEQUATE, A TENDENCY HAS DEVELOPED IN A NUMBER CASES FOR PAC FACILITIES TO BE EXPLOITED BY EXTREMIST AND HATE AND FOR OBSCENE OR PORNOGRAPHIC PROGRAMMING. IN CANADA CABLE OPERATORS ARE HELD LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PROGRAMME CONTENT, AND AS A RESULT THEY SOMETIMES REFUSE ACCESS TO SOME COMMUNITY PRODUCED PROGRAMMES
COMPROMISING TO PROTECT THEMSELVES, BUT THEREBY OF COURSE THE FREE ACCESS PRINCIPLE.
GROUPS
FOR
IF WE ARE TO CONSIDER MAKING AVAILABLE A CHANNEL FOR PUBLIC DESIGN ACCESS HERE IN HONG KONG, GREAT CARE WOULD NEED TO BE TAKEN TO
SYSTEM A
FREE THAT MEETS ALL THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS FOR
PUBLIC ACCESS AND FREE SPEECH BUT PROTECTS IT FROM ABUSE. IT IS NO EASY TASK
REQUIREMENT FOR FREE SPEECH AGAINST THE NEED TO BALANCE THE PROGRAMME CONTENT CONTROLS, AND TO DEVISE A CREDIBLE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM SHOULD PROGRAMMES OVERSTEP THE CHEUNG MAN-KWONG HAS INDICATED JUST NOW, AN INTERNAL UNDER THE AEGIS OF MY BRANCH IS CURRENTLY LOOKING AT SOME DEPTH.
AND EFFECTIVE MARK. AS MR WORKING GROUP THIS MATTER IN
/FINANCIAL RESOURCES
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