APTS Statement on the President's FY 2017 Budget

WASHINGTON – February 9, 2016 – The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) president and CEO Patrick Butler issued the following statement on President Obama’s FY 2017 budget that was released today:

“The Association of Public Television Stations is most grateful for President Obama’s recommendation today of level funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) of $445 million for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The Administration has been a faithful supporter of public television’s mission of education, public safety and civic leadership, and we very much appreciate this steadfast support.

“We are also pleased that the President included $50 million in his budget for FY 2017 to support public television’s new interconnection system – the backbone of both our education and public safety missions, enabling the efficient distribution of educational programming to everyone, everywhere, every day, for free, and ensuring the reliability of public television’s national emergency alert system through which the President of the United States can communicate with the public in times of crisis.

“Finally, we are delighted that the President’s budget includes $25.7 million for FY 2017 for Ready To Learn, public television’s unique national-local partnership with a proven record of helping to close the educational achievement gap between children from low-income families and their more affluent peers. Ready To Learn supports the academic rigor of such programs as The Electric Company, SUPER WHY!, Martha Speaks, Peg + Cat and others, and it invests in teacher and caregiver training and other on-the-ground resources that give Ready To Learn the personal touch needed to translate this high-quality, research-based educational content into a life-changing experience for millions of pre-school age children

“We look forward to working with Congress to ensure full funding to sustain public media’s essential public service mission, our free universal service, local control and local focus as the appropriations process moves forward from today’s most promising beginning. We appreciate the growing bipartisan support for public television, and we are determined to earn that support every day.”

About APTS
The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit membership organization established in 1979. The mission of APTS is to conduct – in concert with member stations – advocacy, planning, research, communications and other activities that foster a strong and financially sound public television system providing essential public services to all Americans. Its 501(c)4 affiliate APTS Action, Inc. promotes the legislative and regulatory interests of noncommercial television stations at the national level through direct advocacy and through grasstops and grassroots campaigns designed to garner bipartisan congressional support. For more information, visit www.apts.org.

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