About Us
Greenbelt Access Television (GATe) is a non-profit organization developed to bring public access to the Greenbelt area.
About Public Access
Greenbelt Access Television, Inc. (GATe), is a non-profit organization chartered by the City of Greenbelt to bring public access to the Greenbelt area. Public access was developed by Congress in the early 1970’s to ensure local communities would have access to the developing cable networks. GATe receives the vast bulk of its income from fees collected by the City of Greenbelt from Verizon and Comcast, for the purpose of funding local public-access television stations.
GATe was established in 1986 to enrich the cultural landscape by presenting, producing and enabling a wide array of quality contemporary art, performing arts, and community media programs. GATe enables residents to become empowered through the dynamic medium of television and video.
Qualified GATe members may schedule and use GATe facilities and equipment, and anyone interested in public access television is encouraged to become a member of GATe and support the efforts of all who contribute their time and services to create a program for the community.
GATe membership is available to both Greenbelt residents
and non-residents. For a full list of our policies check here:
History
A Greenbelt City Council committee was appointed to develop an independent organization to foster public cable access. In 1986, a charter was incorporated establishing GATe as a non-profit, 501 C(3) corporation. In 1997, with the accumulated fees from over the years, the Committee was able to hire Kjell Forsting, a pioneer for cable in his native Sweden. Mr. Forsting had the foresight to purchase a digital editing suite for the newly established GATE Studio in the renovated Community Center. In 2005, GATe sponsored its first Utopia Film Festival which continues every year due to the efforts of a volunteer committee. Each October, videos from around the world are screened in various spaces around Greenbelt. GATe has established its own designated channels on Comcast channel 77 and Verizon FiOS channel 19. Today, we keep Kjell Forsting's vision alive by maintaining the digital quality he saw as the future of video production.
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Greenbelt Access Television
15 Crescent Road, Suite 204
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(In the Community Center across from the Multipurpose Room)
Phone: (301) 507-6581
E-mail us at: greenbeltaccess@gmail.com