APTS Condemns Administration’s Proposed Budget Cuts that Threaten the Future of Public Broadcasting
Administration renews attack on public broadcasting with funding cuts similar to those rejected by Congress and the American people in June
WASHINGTON – February 6, 2006 – John Lawson, president and CEO of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), condemned cuts in federal funding for public broadcasting recommended by the Bush Administration earlier today. Lawson said: “By submitting a budget proposal with cuts of this magnitude, the Administration is completely ignoring the will of the American people as they expressed it quite vocally last June. In now renewing the attack on public broadcasting, the Administration is saying the opinions of the American people do not matter.”
The Administration’s budget proposal would rescind more than $100 million in federal funding for public broadcasting over FY2007 and FY2008. Lawson said: “In addition to drastic cuts over the next two years, the budget proposes no federal funding for FY2009. With this tactic, the Administration may be laying the foundation for the elimination of all federal funding for public broadcasting.” The Administration declined to recommend advance funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides grants for local station operations and national programming. Among other things, the practice of advance funding – which has been in place for the past thirty years – protects public broadcasting from political abuse.
The Administration also proposes completely eliminating funding for the highly-successful Ready To Teach program, which provides funding for online resources for teachers seeking quality professional development that is easily accessible, flexible and tailored to local, state and national standards. In another section of the President’s budget, the Administration requests funds to upgrade the skills of tens of thousands of math and science teachers.
The budget also proposes the elimination of targeted grants for the federally-mandated digital conversion of stations, and funding for the satellite interconnection system that distributes PBS and other programming to local public television stations. Lawson said: “It’s not just ironic, it’s sad that the Administration wants to eliminate federal support for local public television’s digital conversion at the same time that Congress has set February 17, 2009 for the end of analog broadcasts.”
Finally, the budget proposes the elimination of the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP). As Gulf Coast stations struggled to meet local communications needs in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, PTFP was the only source of emergency federal funding to help. Lawson said: “The decision to eliminate PTFP is a serious blow to a program that played an indispensable role in Gulf Coast recovery. PTFP is essential, as this program is an investment in public broadcasting stations’ physical capital, enabling them to deliver expanded programming and services tailored to the needs of local communities.”
Lawson said: “The cuts, amounting to $157 million, or 30 percent less this year than in FY2006, are devastating. As we did last year, our stations will work together with our supporters across the country to fight these cuts vigorously.” In one bright spot for public television, the Administration proposed level funding for the Ready To Learn program at the Department of Education.
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