Can a cable system carry advertisements for cigarettes?
No. Advertisements for cigarettes, little cigars and smokeless tobacco are prohibited on any medium of electronic communication subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission. Laws against these types of advertising have criminal penalties and are administered by the U.S. Department of Justice rather than by the Commission. Q: Under what conditions may a cable operator exercise editorial control over obscene and indecent material? A: In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that cable operators may decline to carry indecent programming on leased access channels, but cannot exercise the same control over programming on public access channels. Q: What are access channels? A: There are two types of access channels. One type is known as leased access channels. Leased access channels are required to be provided by cable operators with 36 or more activated channels. These channels are for commercial use by any person or organization not affiliated with the cable opera
