Channels set aside for public, educational or government use at the request of local government entities that authorize cable television franchises. Public access channels are available for use by the general public and are usually administered either by the cable operator or by a third party designated by the franchising authority. Educational access channels are used by educational institutions for educational programming. Time on these channels is typically allocated by either the franchising authority or the cable operator among local schools, colleges and universities. Governmental access channels are used for programming by organs of local government and, in most jurisdictions, are directly controlled by the franchising authority.