WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 30, 2026 – Kate Riley, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, made the following statement on the House Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee’s action today that did not provide funding for local public broadcasting station infrastructure in its fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations bill.
“America’s Public Television Stations are disappointed that the House Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee did not include essential funding for local public television stations’ infrastructure in its FY 2027 appropriations bill today.
“As drafted, the CJS Appropriations Bill misses an opportunity to provide local stations with $100 million in important funding for much needed infrastructure investments essential to the continued reliability of local service through the restoration of the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP).
“For over 40 years, PTFP, administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) at the Department of Commerce, helped local public broadcasting stations build and maintain critical infrastructure needed for the reliable delivery of broadcast services to all Americans. The program also provided emergency funding for stations that lost facilities in disasters.
“This program was last funded in FY 2010, but with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) dismantled and local station funding rescinded, stations are struggling to maintain services and this infrastructure support is more important than ever.
“A 2017 CPB study found that public broadcasters face a backlog of over $300 million in overdue infrastructure improvements and the backlog has only continued to grow in the intervening years.
“The same study found that 86% of television stations and 75% of radio stations postpone replacing their technology equipment when faced with a lack of funds, a very harsh reality for local public broadcasting stations that have lost all of their federal funding support in last summer’s rescission.
“With many stations now struggling to stay operational, critical infrastructure support is needed and it is essential that PTFP funding is reappropriated in FY 2027. A funding level of $100 million in FY 2027 will help address some of the most pressing needs of local stations and help stave off catastrophic broadcast failures for some of the most at-risk stations, including those in the most remote corners of this country, from Native American tribal lands to small rural communities and areas that have limited access to cable or other broadcasting services.
“We appreciate the growing bipartisan support from Members of Congress who are working to find a path forward to provide funding for local stations including several bipartisan members who have prioritized this funding request. We remain hopeful that this support will result in the provision of essential funding for local public media stations as the FY 2027 appropriations process continues.”
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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 community connections to their local areas and the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
Contact:
Stacey Karp
202-654-4222
skarp@apts.org