America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) is “delighted” about a Congressional vote that approves legislation providing full funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in fiscal year 2021, in addition to multimillion-dollar payments in FY2019.
Signed by President Trump, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill approves the full funding of $445 million for the CPB in FY 2021, $20 million in FY 2019 for an annual interconnection and infrastructure account, and $27.7 million in FY 2019 for the Ready To Learn program, a competitive grant program at the Department of Education that supports public television’s essential work – on the air, online and on the-ground – in early childhood education.
“Federal funding for public media remains essential to local public television stations’ public service missions of education, public safety and civic leadership, and to ensuring that everyone, everywhere, every day has access to these essential services for free,” said APTS President/CEO Patrick Butler.
“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,” he said. “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.”
The funds also help public TV stations provide critical information through datacasting to first responders in emergencies.
“The broad support for public media funding among both Republicans and Democrats in Congress reflects the overwhelming support the American people have consistently given to our service in communities across the country, and we couldn’t be more proud of this vote of confidence in our work,” Butler said.
