&gt;With Cable public-access, the government had to require cable companies to give access to communities to equipment such as a cameras, studios, video players, etc.<p>I don&#x27;t even see why public access cable was forced on any company to begin with. The only reason that comes to mind that the public would even be entitled to free access to the company&#x27;s facilities is the monopoly status that telecoms have often enjoyed in North America. In that case, a bit of give-and-take might be expected. But otherwise, I don&#x27;t see much of a case for forcing a company to let people use its facilities for free.<p>&gt; Public access internet&#x27;s needs are much closer to those of community access television than Citizen&#x27;s band.<p>This seems like a dubious &quot;need&quot;. I can rent a VPS for a few dollars a month and generally do with it whatever I&#x27;d like. The barrier to entry is surprisingly-low, in that regard.