WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 11, 2018 - America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) president and CEO Patrick Butler issued the following statement today:
“America’s Public Television Stations are grateful to the House Appropriations Committee for providing level funding of $445 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for Fiscal Year 2021, as well as level funding of $20 million in FY 2019 to support public television’s interconnection and infrastructure needs, and level funding of $27.7 million in FY 2019 for Ready To Learn, a competitive grant program at the Department of Education that supports public television’s essential work -- on-air, online and on-the-ground -- in early childhood education.
“The broad bipartisan support on the committee for these funds constitutes an encouraging vote of confidence in public television’s work in education, public safety and civic leadership in hundreds of American communities. These federal funds are essential to local public television stations’ public service missions and to ensuring that everyone everywhere in America has access to these vital services.
“With these funds, public television helps millions of preschool children get ready to learn in school and succeed in life, and supports two million teachers who educate 40 million K-12 students in American classrooms every day. Public television content created through Ready To Learn grants has been proven to help close the achievement gap between children from low-income families and their more affluent peers.
“With these funds, public television delivers essential public safety services, providing the backbone for presidential communications with the American people in times of national emergency, linking local law enforcement and first responder agencies with one another and with the public, and partnering with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to use public television’s broadcast signal to enhance public safety communications through datacasting.
“And with these funds, public television serves as the “C-SPAN” of State governments, hosts candidate debates at every level of the ballot, and produces thousands of hours of programming on local public affairs, history and culture for America’s hometowns.
“We are especially thankful for the leadership of Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Lowey, and Subcommittee Chairman Cole and Ranking Member DeLauro, in producing this positive result and keeping faith with the overwhelming majority of Americans, across the political spectrum, who support federal funding for public television. We are encouraged that this bipartisan congressional support continues to grow year by year, and we will do our best to earn this support every day in service to America’s communities.”
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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