HB346: HB346 Local government; prohibit municipalities and counties from using public, educational, and governmental programming (PEG) channels for political purposes

Georgia law already lets cities and counties request PEG channels from cable and video providers under a statewide franchise system, subject to rules about how much programming they must produce to keep those channels. HB 346 amends that law (O.C.G.A. § 36-76-8) to add a new restriction on how those channels can be used. The bill adds a provision stating that no PEG channel may be used by a municipality or county for political purposes, specifically naming partisan political programming and content tied to a candidate's campaign as prohibited uses. The rest of the existing PEG channel rules, including how many channels a local government can request based on population and how many hours of nonduplicative programming are required, stay in place unchanged. The bill does not set a specific effective date beyond the standard process, and it repeals any conflicting laws.

• Adds a new rule to Georgia's PEG channel law barring cities and counties from using PEG channels for political purposes.
• Specifically prohibits broadcasting partisan political programming on PEG channels operated by local governments.
• Specifically prohibits airing content associated with any candidate's campaign for public office on PEG channels.
• Leaves unchanged the existing rules on how many PEG channels a city or county can request and how much programming they must produce to keep them.

City and county governments that operate PEG channels under franchise agreements with cable or video service providers, the cable and video providers that carry those channels, and residents who watch local government meetings or community programming on PEG channels.

If enacted, local governments that run PEG channels would have to avoid airing partisan content or campaign material on those channels, which are typically used for government meetings and community programming, changing what kind of content can appear there.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 36-76-8(b) by adding new paragraph (7), which bars any municipality or county from using PEG channel capability for political purposes.
• The new paragraph specifically lists partisan political programming and campaign-associated content as examples of prohibited political use.
• The bill keeps the existing population-based limits on the number of PEG channels a city or county can request (up to three for larger populations, up to two for smaller ones).
• The bill keeps existing requirements that channels show a minimum number of hours of nonduplicative programming to qualify and remain active.
• Section 2 repeals any laws that conflict with the new restriction.

1. 2025-02-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-11House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-10House Hopper (House)

• Don Parsons (R, HD-044)Primary sponsor
• John Carson (R, HD-046)
• Devan Seabaugh (R, HD-034)
• Matt Barton (R, HD-005)

• local government
• cable television regulation
• PEG channels
• political campaigns
• municipal broadcasting