About Us

Public Access production facilities, like Town Square Television, give individuals and organizations access to video production education, support, and distribution. Creator Members use our equipment and facilities to create their messages and videos through an easily accessible format, without a high barrier to entry. Public Access services are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Membership and production classes are all that is required.

We make creating your own show or podcast easy for everyone!

• Become a Creator Member (Individual or Organization).
• Take our Production Classes to learn how to record and edit your show.
• Submit your video for playback on our cable TV channels. We can also advise you on online distribution opportunities, like YouTube and social media.
• Share your video and audio masterpiece with your community!

Becoming a member of Town Square Television builds up the power of local community media in Northern Dakota County! Be part of our community of support as a Sustaining member, or share your own videos or podcasts as a Creator. Click the button below to learn more about our Membership types and benefits.

Members & Creators

Our video programming is available in our seven cities on Xfinity Channels 798, 799, and 859 in high definition (HD) and Channels 14, 15, 16, 18, and 19 in standard definition (SD). You can also stream live and on-demand on our website and YouTube channel. Podcasts are available through Podbean or by searching “Town Square Television” on your favorite podcast app.

No, we are a separate entity from Xfinity®/Comcast. Town Square Television provides local community television services for individuals and organizations. NDC4 provides consumer protection services for cable subscribers. Both organizations are located in our Inver Grove Heights facility.

Yes, we can help! If you have an unresolved issue with the cable company and are an Xfinity® subscriber in the Twin Cities area, start by calling them at (651) 222-3333. If you are unable to resolve your question or problem directly with Xfinity, and you live in Inver Grove Heights, Lilydale, Mendota, Mendota Heights, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake, or West St. Paul, call NDC4 at (651) 352-6101, and we can help you file an escalated complaint with Xfinity®. If you do not live in the cities mentioned above, call your city hall to find your local cable franchise authority.

The Northern Dakota County Cable Communications Commission (NDC4) is a municipal joint powers cooperative formed in 1982 by the cities of Inver Grove Heights, Lilydale, Mendota, Mendota Heights, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake, and West St. Paul.

NDC4 serves its member cities by administering and enforcing the cable franchise ordinance, managing institutional programming, and overseeing local community programming on their behalf. We also administer local community programming through our non-profit corporation, Town Square Television.

The cable commission consists of a city council and a citizen representative from each of our member cities. Five of the commissioners are elected commission officers who form the Executive Committee. The full commission meets on the first Wednesday of every other month (February, April, June, August, October, and December), while the Executive Committee meets the months in between. Full Commission meetings are televised live on Channels 18 & 798(HD) and streamed online.

A cable franchise is a required license to do business for wireline cable TV providers in our cities. Each city has adopted the franchise through city ordinances, and NDC4 enforces those ordinances on behalf of the residents and Xfinity® (Comcast) subscribers in these cities.

Community media stations are traditionally funded through fees that cable companies pay because they are using public spaces to lay their cables and wires – aka Franchise Fees. This setup was based on the idea that if a company uses public property (or rights-of-way) to make money, the company should give a portion back to the community.

Town Square Television also earns funding through memberships, donations, class fees, video and podcast production-for-hire services, and sponsorship support.

Times and technology have changed, and fewer people subscribe to cable TV, preferring to stream content online. Cable companies have adapted to these changes, and new companies have come to market, shifting to providing internet services. These companies profit from internet services that use the same public space that cable companies have in the past. In turn, our franchise fees have seen significant reductions.

Efforts are being made through our state advocacy organization, MACTA, along with our national advocacy organizations, NATOA and the Alliance for Community Media, to modernize funding for Community Media. Learn more at www.savecommunitytv.com.