L.A. cable system illegally shuts off public access

If you study broadcasting in college, one thing you'll probably learn around your second semester or so is that federal law requires American cable TV systems to provide public access channels.

Thus, your local cable company provides equipment to let you place your own shows on TV. Cable companies are barred from censoring your programs based on content.
That's the law. Not just a "damn piece of paper" (as Bush would say), but the law.

But in Los Angeles, I guess laws no longer apply.

Right-wing city officials and cable companies have helped lead an effort to gut public access TV. Time Warner, which controls over 90% of the cable TV biz in L.A., plans to close its public access studios in that city.

How does Time Warner accomplish depriving the community of public access cable? A 2006 state law, which was written by request of right-wing communications giant AT&T, gutted local public access deals and put franchise agreements in the hands of the Public Utilities Commission - the Puke-O of California, which refuses even to regulate the electric industry. (And we all know what happened with that.)

The law frees cable providers from having to provide public access as long as they pay a tiny fee to cities.

How do they get around the federal law mandating public access? Who the fuck knows?

(Source: http://www.laweekly.com/2008-12-11/news/shutting-down-public-access-tv)