▁cable ▁service . ▁It ▁is ▁a ▁subset ▁of ▁public , ▁educational ▁and ▁government ▁access . ▁Most ▁popular ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁and ▁early ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁the ▁rise ▁of ▁the ▁Internet ▁and ▁satellite ▁TV ▁( the ▁latter ▁of ▁which ▁is ▁not ▁required ▁to ▁carry ▁public - access ▁TV ) ▁rendered ▁it ▁partially ▁ob sole te . ▁ ▁C able ▁and ▁satellite ▁television ▁ ▁While ▁pay ▁television ▁systems ▁existed ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 4 0 s , ▁until ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁cable ▁television ▁only ▁served ▁to ▁dist ribute ▁distant ▁over - the - air ▁television ▁stations ▁to ▁rural ▁areas ▁not ▁served ▁by ▁stations ▁that ▁are ▁based ▁locally . ▁This ▁role ▁was ▁reflected ▁in ▁the ▁original ▁meaning ▁of ▁the ▁C AT V ▁ac ron ym , ▁" community ▁anten na ▁TV ". ▁In ▁that ▁de cade , ▁national ▁networks ▁that ▁exclus ively ▁transm itted ▁via ▁cable ▁and ▁maintained ▁their ▁own ▁individual ▁programming ▁formats ▁began ▁to ▁launch , ▁while ▁cable ▁system ▁franch ises ▁began ▁operating ▁in ▁major ▁cities ▁with ▁over - the - air ▁television ▁stations . ▁By ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 7 0 s , ▁some ▁form ▁of ▁cable ▁television ▁was ▁available ▁in ▁almost ▁every ▁market ▁that ▁already ▁had ▁over - the - air ▁television ▁service . ▁Today , ▁most ▁American ▁households ▁receive ▁cable ▁television , ▁and ▁cable ▁networks ▁collect ively ▁have ▁greater ▁view ership ▁than ▁broadcast ▁networks , ▁even ▁though ▁individual ▁programs ▁on ▁most ▁of