C-SPAN is a private, nonprofit company that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a public service. Its mission is to provide public access to the political process. Fees paid by cable and satellite affiliates who carry C-SPAN programming fund its operations. Offering three cable television channels and a radio network, C-SPAN s mission is to provide access to live gavel-to-gavel proceedings of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and other forums where public policy is discussed, debated and decided without editing, commentary or analysis and with a balanced presentation of points of view. It provides elected and appointed officials and others who would influence public policy a direct conduit to the audience without filtering or otherwise distorting their points of view. It also provides the audience, through call-in programs, direct access to elected officials, other decision makers and journalists on a frequent and open basis. It is based in Washington, D.C.