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

See Examples For:

public access

While that was good for pedestrians, it cut off the White House and symbolically severed it from public access — you could no longer drive by and wave.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

Property donations aren’t unheard of in settlement agreements, but Haage said this is the first she can remember in Malibu, where land is prized and residents consistently get fined for blocking public access.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

The county’s answer: Limit public access to a pair of in-person kiosks in Raleigh once the website goes dark, likely this month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The authority said it had installed new wooden fencing to limit public access as a way of protecting the tree and to keep the surrounding area safe for the public.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 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