public access

American  

noun

1. the availability of noncommercial television and radio broadcasting facilities to community groups or members of the public for programs of general interest to the community, especially as a condition of cable television franchises.

2. a type of noncommercial programming of general interest to the community.

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Other Word Forms

• public-access adjective

Example Sentences

Questions from the community focused on features of the pool, public access, cost and effects of the construction work.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

Security was tight outside the court on Thursday, with dozens of police buses forming a cordon to restrict public access.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

The high court voted 8-3 to extend the protections of an existing law prohibiting racial discrimination in hiring, housing and public access to homosexuals and transgender people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

Its long-running grant programs promote community engagement and public access to information, while bolstering institutions’ ability to care for collections and prepare for disasters.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

At a public access terminal in a Miami library, she found a cheap apartment and paid the deposit electronically.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements