APTS Applauds the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee for Its Support of Federal Funding for Public Broadcasting
WASHINGTON – November 9, 2011 – The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) commends the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Consumer Advisory Committee for its resolution recommending the FCC support continued federal funding of public broadcasting.
“APTS is grateful to FCC Consumer Advisory Committee Chairperson Debra R. Berlyn, and the entire Committee, for supporting federal funding of public broadcasting,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “We appreciate the committee understanding that federal funding is the cornerstone of local public broadcasting stations’ service to communities across the country.”
“Public broadcasting is an essential local service regularly depended on by 170 million Americans every month in all 50 States,” Butler continued. “As the Consumer Advisory Committee’s resolution stated, local communities depend on their local public broadcasting stations for children’s educational content, news and public affairs programs, public safety information and job training. Federal funding is critical to public television’s enhancing services to persons with disabilities. Federal funding is also particularly important to rural public broadcasting stations, as it is to stations serving Native Americans and other underserved audiences. We take our universal service mission seriously, and with the help of federal funding, we can and will serve everyone, everywhere, every day.”
“The FCC Consumer Advisory Committee’s endorsement of our work is deeply appreciated,” Butler concluded, “and it will be a great help to us as we tell our story of service to the Congress, the Administration and the American people.”
About APTS
The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1979. The mission of APTS is to conduct – in concert with member stations – advocacy, planning, research and communications activities in order to achieve strong and financially sound noncommercial television and advanced digital services for the American people. APTS provides consistent leadership and information that helps our members better accomplish their own missions and goals. Through its affiliate APTS Action, APTS promotes the legislative and regulatory interests of noncommercial television stations at the national level through direct advocacy, and grasstops and grassroots campaigns designed to garner congressional support. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
###
