On Monday, President Joe Biden outlined his $7.3 trillion federal budget plan for the 2025 fiscal year. Included in that plan is a substantial increase in funds for the Federal Communications Commission and a future raise for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
If the White House’s proposal passes, the FCC will get $390,192,000 – an increase of 14.8%. As Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel focuses on hunting down unlicensed broadcasters under the PIRATE Act, the Enforcement Bureau would see its budget climb to $49.3 million, making room for around 30 new agents.
The FCC Media Bureau’s budget would increase to $29.7 million.
As for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, President Biden’s FY 2025 budget proposal outlines $595 million for CPB in FY 2027 – an 11% raise. In addition, $60 million would be given for public broadcasting infrastructure and $31 million for the Ready To Learn program.
CPB President Patricia Harrison highlighted CPB’s commitment to delivering educational and informative content accessible to all Americans, saying, “We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to ensure public media receives the support it needs to fulfill its essential mission.”
She added, “Public media’s trusted, fact-based local, national, and international journalism serves a vital role providing citizens with the information they need to fully participate in our democracy; and the federal investment in CPB supports critical infrastructure for our nation’s emergency alert system.”
