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Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is Access Tucson?

We are an independent, non-profit, membership-based organization which provides training and facilities for Tucsonans to communicate with the community utilizing electronic media.

Where are you located downtown?

We are located at 124 E.Broadway Blv., SE corner of Broadway and 6th Avenue.

When are you open?

We are open Fridays and Saturdays from 2pm to 10pm for production services and public internet use.

What do you do?

We program three public access channels 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. We air shows produced by local citizens, some live from our studios. We provide production classes, access to production equipment, cablecast of programming produced locally or outside of Tucson, project consultation, access to a CD library, and free internet access. We also provide class scholarships, as well as additional production options for community service organizations, including remote productions, satellite feeds other programming.

Are you a cable provider?

No. We operate the public access channels for the city and the county.

Do you have a parking lot?

Yes. Free parking is available in our parking lot adjacent to the west side of the building.

Where else can I park if your lot is full?

There is metered street parking available. It is free on weekends and after 5:00 PM.

Where does your funding come from?

Approximately 80% of our funding comes from cable subscribers as franchise revenue. It is allocated on a biannual basis by the Mayor and City Council. Member user fees for advanced training, production facilities rental, software sales, grants and contributions provide the remaining 20% income.

Lobby Internet Access

Do you provide free public internet access?

Yes. You can use the Internet free of charge, the computers are located in the lobby. Public internet use is available Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 10pm.

Are you channel 12?

No. Our channels are 98, 99 and digital 120 on Cox and 72, 73 and 74 on Comcast.You can also view our programs on the internet via real time streaming.

Why can’t I get all of the channels that Access Tucson programs?

Access Tucson programs three cable channels: 72, 73 and 74 on Comcast; and 98, 99 and 120 on Cox. Channel 120 is a digital channel and only Cox subscribers with digital service and a digital set-top box will receive this channel. All City of Tucson cable subscribers get all three channels whether they are on Cox or Comcast because the City negotiated this when they granted licenses to Cox and Comcast. In fact, Tucson cable subscribers get all 7 of the PEG (public, educational and government) channels including not just those from Access Tucson, but also those from Pima College, TUSD, University of Arizona and the City of Tucson. Because each municipality negotiates its own license, Marana, Oro Valley, S. Tucson, and Sahuarita all can have different PEG channels. In addition, recent AZ State law only allows for a municipality to negotiate for up to 4 PEG channels so in the future there may only be 4 PEG channels total no matter where you live. As for Pima County, the Comcast license with Pima County only requires Comcast to carry one of our channels (channel 74). Pima County and Comcast are negotiating a new license which will probably call for Comcast to carry 4 PEG channels and leave it to the County to say which 4. The really frustrating thing for County subscribers is that Comcast did carry 72, 73 and 74 for years but turned off 72 and 73 in Pima County when it got into negotiations with the County on this license a couple of years ago. If you are not in the City and would like all of the Access Tucson channels to be carried in your area, contact your representative on the Board of Supervisors or City Council representative and your cable company and tell them these channels are important to you.

Why aren't you on Satellite or Direc-TV?

Public access channels exist because of the relationship between the cable TV company and the City in which that company operates. You might think of it as a landlord/tenant relationship. In this case the tenant, Cox and Comcast, wish to rent space from the landlord, the City of Tucson or Pima County, in order to string coaxial cable and fiber optic lines on and across public streets, alleys and rights of ways. They enter into an agreement called a franchise or license. The city agrees to the for-profit use of city owned property (paid for and maintained by you, the taxpayer) and in exchange the cable company pays the city fees and also provides additional in-kind services such as the PEG (public, educational and governmental) access channels. Satellite companies such as Direct TV and DISH Network do not use public streets and therefore do not need to sign an agreement with any cities whose customers they serve using only the air. They are regulated by the federal government which does not require them to provide PEG channels but which does require them to set aside some channels for educational and public service use. These are national channels, not local channels like the ones managed by Access Tucson.

How many viewers do you have?

Access Tucson does not have the resources necessary to accurately measure the audience of the public access channels. And even if we did, we would argue that the value of public access is in narrowcasting, not broadcasting. Our services are especially important in providing a voice for those who may have traditionally been excluded from mass media or who may have opinions that are not in the mainstream. We do know that nearly 200,000 homes in Tucson and Pima County can receive the public access channels on Cox and Comcast.

What kind of programs can I expect to see on Access Tucson channels?

You will see a variety of programs produced by Tucson area citizens. Public access television is the only forum where individuals can express their opinions and perspectives to the community through cable television. Access television provides the community an important venue for First Amendment rights,the right to free speech.

Who controls the content?

The producer of the program. All Tucson public access channels are operated and controlled by Access Tucson. Access Tucson is an independent, nonprofit corporation and is not an agent or affiliate of Cox Communications, Comcast or the City of Tucson. Cox Communications, Comcast, the City of Tucson and Access Tucson are prohibited by law from controlling the content of programs on public access channels. They are not responsible in any way for the content of public access programs, and are not liable for any material cablecast on pubic access channels. Public access users and producers are solely responsible for and have complete control of the content of their programs. So whether you agree or disagree you have the option of producing your own program and using the public access channels to share your message with the community.