A lawyer for two content providers banned by a New York City public-access television network for alleged threatening behavior received a cool reception from Supreme Court justices Feb. 25, when he contended the network was legally required to broadcast content his clients generate because the city government licensed the channel.
At issue is whether a public TV channel operator designated by a government is a “state actor,” meaning a person acting on behalf of a governmental authority. State actors are subject to regulation under the First Amendment, in some cases even if they have an indirect relationship with a government.
