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Title 47 — Telegraphs, Telephones, and RadiotelegraphsRelease 119-73not60

§531 Cable Channels for Public, Educational, or Governmental Use

Title 47 › Chapter 5— WIRE OR RADIO COMMUNICATION › Subchapter V–A— CABLE COMMUNICATIONS › Part II— Use of Cable Channels and Cable Ownership Restrictions › § 531

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Local governments that grant cable franchises can require cable companies to set aside channels for public, educational, or government use. They can put those requirements into franchise requests and renewal talks (subject to section 546 of this title). They can make rules for how those channels are used and they can enforce any franchise promises about providing or using those channels, including services, facilities, or equipment tied to public, educational, or government use. The law also says the local government must make rules letting the cable company use unused reserved channels for other services and say when that temporary use must stop. A cable company must not control the content shown on public, educational, or government channels, except it may refuse to carry public access material that contains obscenity, indecency, or nudity. Institutional network — a communications network the cable company builds or runs that is generally only available to nonresidential subscribers.

Full Legal Text

Title 47, §531

Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)A franchising authority may establish requirements in a franchise with respect to the designation or use of channel capacity for public, educational, or governmental use only to the extent provided in this section.
(b)A franchising authority may in its request for proposals require as part of a franchise, and may require as part of a cable operator’s proposal for a franchise renewal, subject to section 546 of this title, that channel capacity be designated for public, educational, or governmental use, and channel capacity on institutional networks be designated for educational or governmental use, and may require rules and procedures for the use of the channel capacity designated pursuant to this section.
(c)A franchising authority may enforce any requirement in any franchise regarding the providing or use of such channel capacity. Such enforcement authority includes the authority to enforce any provisions of the franchise for services, facilities, or equipment proposed by the cable operator which relate to public, educational, or governmental use of channel capacity, whether or not required by the franchising authority pursuant to subsection (b).
(d)In the case of any franchise under which channel capacity is designated under subsection (b), the franchising authority shall prescribe—
(1)rules and procedures under which the cable operator is permitted to use such channel capacity for the provision of other services if such channel capacity is not being used for the purposes designated, and
(2)rules and procedures under which such permitted use shall cease.
(e)Subject to section 544(d) of this title, a cable operator shall not exercise any editorial control over any public, educational, or governmental use of channel capacity provided pursuant to this section, except a cable operator may refuse to transmit any public access program or portion of a public access program which contains obscenity, indecency, or nudity.
(f)For purposes of this section, the term “institutional network” means a communication network which is constructed or operated by the cable operator and which is generally available only to subscribers who are not residential subscribers.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–104 inserted before period at end “, except a cable operator may refuse to transmit any public access program or portion of a public access program which contains obscenity, indecency, or nudity”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective 60 days after Oct. 30, 1984, except where otherwise expressly provided, see section 9(a) of Pub. L. 98–549, set out as a note under section 521 of this title.

Regulations

Pub. L. 102–385, § 10(c), Oct. 5, 1992, 106 Stat. 1486, provided that: “Within 180 days following the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 5, 1992], the Federal Communications Commission shall promulgate such

Regulations

as may be necessary to enable a cable operator of a cable system to prohibit the use, on such system, of any channel capacity of any public, educational, or governmental access facility for any programming which contains obscene material, sexually explicit conduct, or material soliciting or promoting unlawful conduct.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

47 U.S.C. § 531

Title 47 — Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60