WASHINGTON — March 13, 2023 — America’s Public Television Stations today praised President Biden’s recommendation of $575 million in advance funding for public broadcasting in his fiscal year 2024 budget.
“America’s Public Television Stations appreciate the President’s endorsement of public media’s public service missions and his proposal for a $40 million increase in the federal investment for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” said Patrick Butler, president and chief executive officer of America’s Public Television Stations. “We are grateful for this recognition of the critical role our local stations play in their communities and the essential services they provide all Americans in public safety, education and civic leadership.
“The President’s funding recommendation would help restore the $100 million in lost purchasing power caused by 10 years of flat federal funding for CPB, and if approved by Congress would enhance the essential services local public television stations provide in life-saving public safety communications, free educational services for teachers, families and students, and community-based, trusted information on local history, culture and public affairs.
“We are also appreciative that the President’s budget recommends level funding of $60 million in FY 2024 for the annual station interconnection account, which is the backbone of the public broadcasting system, connecting stations to ensure the operation of nationwide emergency alerting, facilitate the exchange of local, regional and national programming and create operational efficiencies. This fund also supports important system-wide digital infrastructure, addressing our system’s growing needs including cybersecurity, modern content delivery networks, and data management, among others.
“In addition, we are pleased by the President’s continued support and recommendation of level funding of $31 million for Ready To Learn, a competitive grant program at the Department of Education that supports the creation and distribution of educational media content to millions of children across America over the air, online, on mobile devices and through on the ground outreach in communities across the nation. This program has been proven to help close the achievement gap between children from low-income families and their more affluent peers.
“We also remain hopeful that Congress will include level funding of $56 million for the Next Generation Warning System at FEMA in FY 2024. This funding would support the local public media station infrastructure that the nation depends on to transmit emergency alerts and warnings to every part of the country. Public broadcasting stations reach 99% of the American people, making us an essential part of the national alert and warning system. A CPB study identified at least $300 million in unmet infrastructure needs throughout the public media system – needs which threaten the reliability of our public safety mission. This program is critical to addressing those needs and enhancing the alert and warning capabilities on which our nation depends. We are hopeful that Congress will provide level funding of $56 million for the Next Generation Warning System in the FY 2024.
“We are grateful for the President’s support for public media and this promising beginning to the FY 2024 funding process. We look forward to working with the bipartisan public media supporters in Congress to ensure that this federal funding, so necessary to sustaining public media’s essential local public service missions, is approved as the appropriations process moves forward.”
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About APTS
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system and helping member stations provide essential public services in education, public safety and civic leadership to the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
Contact:
Stacey Karp
202-654-4222
skarp@apts.org