Durango's Community Access Television

Why would a relatively small community like Durango (a town with around 30,000 people in Colorado) have its own Community Access Television?

A recent article in the Durango Herald explains:

[Executive Director Chris Hall] emphasized that "public access" isn't just a slogan for DCAT.

"We don't say no," he said. "We're the soapbox. You create the message. Tell stories from our community. The only restriction is that it's not commercial. Our purpose is to provide equipment and access to the community. This is bottom up."

-TDH, May 23, 2008

It would appear that DCAT (Durango Community Access Television), then, is a conduit: helping the members of its community reach out to the other people around them. Why would little Durango have DCAT? Evidently, that community values actually having a true community that strives to share information with itself.