Ptv Dtv Funding Sought

Television Digest with Consumer Electronics, Dec 6, 1999

Just months after collapse of reauthorization effort, public broadcasting leadership said industry will return to Congress next year with redoubled effort for authorization and DTV conversion funding. Leaders met at APTS hq last week to work on proposal that could ask for more than $100 million in extra DTV money, partly to make up for what industry didn't get this year, officials said. APTS spokeswoman said proposal hadn't been finalized by our deadline.

Industry had seemed headed for reauthorization over summer before list-swap scandal doomed bill backed by House Telecom Subcommittee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) and top Democrat Markey (Mass.). CPB ended up with only slight increase in appropriation, to $350 million from $340 million, plus $10 million in DTV money that's conditional on reauthorization next year and increase in funding for PTFP infrastructure grant program, to $26.5 million from $18 million.

There's "a good chance that we will tackle reauthorization" next year, said Tauzin spokesman Ken Johnson, but he stressed Tauzin has "made no firm commitments to bring it up." There won't be any further congressional attention to public broadcasting's fund-raising issues "unless further abuses are taken," he said. Johnson said Tauzin is "convinced the steps taken by this Congress will take care of the situation." As part of rewrite of Satellite Home Viewer Act (SHVA), Congress approved ban on public broadcasters' swapping donor lists with political organizations.

APTS Pres. David Brugger said he's pushing industry's request to "make up for" $15 million lost when last year's reauthorization failed, as well as $10 million difference between $20 million Administration asked for and $10 million appropriated for CPB this year. That's in addition to Administration's already requested jump in PTFP funding to $100 million and $20 million in extra CPB funds.

Brugger blamed controversy over donor list swaps for Congress's failure to reauthorize CPB last year, which cost PTV $15 million in DTV conversion funding, or to award significant new DTV money. "I never thought it was an issue that particularly had to do with public broadcasting," he said, "but we paid the price for it." He said one member who fanned flames of list-swap controversy even admitted "'it wasn't a big issue for us, all we wanted to do was slow down your bill.'" Language in SHVA "hopefully will put an end to it... as an issue," Brugger said: "Hopefully... we can get on with talking about what public broadcasting really does rather than side issues."