A House subcommittee on appropriations has approved $420 million in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal year 2010.
In addition to the advanced appropriation, the panel approved $29.7 million for digital conversion and $26.75 million for the public radio interconnection system for fiscal year 2008. The bill also provides roughly $24 million in funding for Ready To Learn. If enacted, the proposed advance for the fiscal year 2010 would represent a 5 percent increase over the fiscal year 2009 funding level.
“We realize that the subcommittee had to make many difficult decisions in allocating resources, especially given today’s budgetary pressures,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO. As such, we are especially thankful that the bill provides CPB with an advance appropriation, which affords public broadcasters a key measure of certainty in their business planning and for digital and interconnection funding, which will help public broadcasting tap the potential of digital technology.”
The full House Appropriations Committee could consider the bill as early as this week, followed by action by the House of Representatives. The Senate is expected to consider its version of the bill in late June or July.
