Maintaining the status quo as well as the attitude toward cultural funding and development that it imposes on video are detrimental to the formation of a thriving video network, and also out of key with the present social and political situation in Britain. Independent video has some quite specific advantages as a medium for cultural production and distribution, especially in terms of the decentralization of control; however, it will be forced to mold itself into the restrictive models of independent film and community art, or to survive and develop as best it can in spite of the entrenched attitudes of the funding bodies, if there is not a fundamental shift in attitudes toward cultural production. As the British Film Institute takes over responsibility for some of the funding, it may begin to understand the issues at stake and appreciate the need for an "industrial development" perspective, as well as one centered on the artistic qualities of the individual product. Professional access workshops can tap funds from a whole range of sources and provide, in return, a service that is effective and educational. With the right support, the workshops can expand in spite of diminishing public resources. Most importantly, the access model is one in which control is shifted outward, toward the people who want to use the medium, a vital point in terms of the politics of representation. (CGD)