The Federal government’s fiscal 2019 budget was released Monday by the White House, and the nation’s secular non-commercial television stations are once again raising their collective voice in ire at what they say amounts to an “elimination” of all funding for public media.
The proposed budget from President Donald Trump would “rescind all but $15 million of each fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020 funding for public media.
Patricia Harrison, President/CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), says the proposal provides the poison pill for the outright destruction of PBS and other educationally focused TV stations.
“Americans place great value on having universal access to public media’s educational and informational programming and services, provided commercial free and free of charge,” Harrison says. “Since there is no viable substitute for federal funding that would ensure this valued service continues, the elimination of federal funding to CPB would at first devastate, and then ultimately destroy public media’s ability to provide early childhood content, life-saving emergency alerts, and public affairs programs.”
Harrison adds that Americans rely on public media “for high-quality educational and informational programs that are proven to get their children ready to learn, and that provide opportunities for lifelong learning.”
And, unlike the “No Billag” fight currently being waged in Switzerland that could end a $480.47 annual tax for that nation’s four-language public broadcasting operation, Harrison points out that the U.S.’s non-commercial public media is made possible “by a uniquely American, entrepreneurial, public-private partnership.” Federal funding is the foundation of that partnership, Harrison asserts. “The partnership continues with local stations doing their part, working with their communities to complete the funding process,” she says.
For CPB, the next step is to continue to raise awareness in Congress and the Trump Administration “about the valued content and services local public television and radio stations provide to their communities and the vital role federal funding plays in supporting them.”
Also expressing dismay over Trump’s FY 2019 budget proposal and its impact on public media, America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) President/CEO Patrick Butler said his organization will continue to make its case with the White House.
“Characterizing our work as simply another television channel misses the fact that we provide the only preschool education for more than half of America’s children, that we are the backbone of public safety communications networks at the local, state and national levels, and that we do more to equip America’s citizens to do the hard work of democracy than anyone else,” Butler says.
“Fortunately, Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate, and the overwhelming majority of their constituents, understand these contributions – and our impressive return on the investment of one-hundredth of one percent of the federal budget – very well, he adds.
Congress approved full funding for public broadcasting in fiscal 2017.
“We are hopeful that Congress will continue its support for public broadcasting in the final appropriations bills for FY 2018, FY 2019, and beyond,” Butler says.
House Energy & Commerce Committee leadership was silent on the matter, but quite vocal on another key aspect of the FY 2019 proposed budget from the White House: President Trump’s infrastructure plan.
“Please permit us to say that President Trump hit the nail on the head when constructing this plan to rebuild America’s infrastructure,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Subcommittee on Energy Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Subcommittee on Environment Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL), and Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) collectively note. “We have been working hard to build out a legislative agenda that promotes broadband deployment and improves our energy infrastructure and environmental protections. More than 20 targeted infrastructure bills from this committee have passed the House, and we’ve got more in the pipeline. Improving our country’s infrastructure can be a bipartisan effort, and we stand ready to strap on our work boots and pave the way for success with our colleagues across the aisle. Let’s build a stronger America together.”
Also chiming in on the White House infrastructure plan: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. He said, “Too often, regulatory barriers make it harder and more expensive to build out broadband than it needs to be—to the detriment of American consumers. That’s why this plan is a welcome and strong call to action. I stand ready to work with the Administration and Congress to turn this plan into a reality as we continue to bridge the digital divide and extend 5G digital opportunity to all Americans.”
In a separate statement from Walden on the presidential budget request, he applauded President Trump “for laying out his vision for the country in today’s budget request and welcome his partnership as the Energy and Commerce Committee works to tackle several shared priorities.” Public media funding was not noted. Rather, he noted the White House’s efforts to tackle the nation’s opiod crisis.
