Background

League of Women Voters Positions on Media

A Neutral Internet “Net” Neutrality (adopted 2008, affirmed 2018)

The League of Women Voters of Connecticut believes that a free and open Internet is increasingly important to the protection of individual liberties – freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association – guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the Connecticut Constitution.  The League also believes that net neutrality protections are essential for political discourse, dissemination of news, and democratic participation. Therefore, the League of Women Voters of Connecticut strongly supports protection of the open, neutral, nondiscriminatory nature of the Internet. To further this position, the League of Women Voters of Connecticut supports efforts by the State of Connecticut to protect the open, neutral, nondiscriminatory nature of the Internet.

        (adopted 2008 and affirmed 2018 by LWVCT, adopted in concurrence by LWVUS 2022 Convention)

The League of Women Voters believes that high speed affordable internet access is an essential service that should be readily available to all U.S. residents and businesses. National, state, and local government policies should support broadband, wireless, and other means of high-speed internet deployment throughout the nation.  Efficient, high speed, affordable access to the internet for all U.S. residents in their homes, schools and workplaces – regardless of geographic location or neighborhood demographics – is a necessity for assuring equal access to local and state government, for maintaining openness and transparency in government activities, for communicating with legislative leaders, for engaging in political discourse, for competing in the global marketplace, and for assuring that voters receive the information they need to participate in our democracy.

The League of Women Voters supports making high speed internet access available to all residents of the United States, without charge, through schools, libraries, and other secure public buildings.

Community Access TV and Public Affairs Media  (adopted 2008, affirmed 2018, updated 2019 by LWVCT; adopted in concurrence by LWVUS 2022 Convention)

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.

Rationale for 2019 update:

Cable television is being replaced by “over-the-top,” or streaming video services.  Both community access (PEG access) television channels and the state public affairs channel traditionally receive funding based on cable and telephone companies' use of the Public Rights of Way.  Even though the channels have supplemented their programming with the internet, their funding is declining because of “cord-cutting.”

The tradition of PROW funding has not extended to broadband internet services, even when that service is delivered through wires on poles along our roadways.   Cable and telephone companies have been working to reduce their funding obligations at the federal level, in the FCC and Congress. 

The nonprofit organizations that provide community access media in Connecticut already do their own fundraising from private citizens and grants from foundations.  They need consistent funding for their operations.  The public is still due support for the channels, in exchange for company use of publicly owned property.