Download FUNDING BRIEF: PUBLIC BROADCASTING`S INFRASTRUCTURE

FUNDING BRIEF: PUBLIC BROADCASTING’S INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS
Public broadcasting stations recently lost the only source of ongoing infrastructure assistance
– the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP). For nearly 50 years, PTFP served
as the core program for public broadcasting infrastructure—ensuring public broadcasters were
able to provide the highest quality, reliable, universal service to their communities including
underserved areas and communities devastated by disasters.
ACTION REQUEST
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Local public television stations request the restoration of critical infrastructure funds
that were provided through PTFP. PTFP was last funded at $20 million in FY 2010.
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Dedicated infrastructure funds are needed to:
o Address the high costs of system maintenance and upgrades that enable the
continuation of quality service to local communities.
o Serve as an essential lifeline for stations that must replace equipment lost to
natural or man-made disasters.
o Provide critical start-up funds for communities looking to bring first-time public
broadcasting service to their citizens--many of whom reside in rural communities
and Native American tribal lands.
BACKGROUND
PTFP was created in 1962 as a means to provide much needed infrastructure funding to local
public broadcasting stations. Since that time, PTFP was the only source of funding that provided
a federal match to locally raised funds for ongoing maintenance and upgrades to public
broadcasting infrastructure and facilities.
For nearly 50 years, PTFP protected the American public’s investment in public broadcasting
and provided assurances that future generations would have access to quality, noncommercial,
public service media. Now that PTFP funding is gone, stations’ growing unfunded infrastructure
needs are jeopardizing their ability to continue to provide their communities with the highestquality programing and services.
The public broadcasting community realizes that these are difficult financial times for the
country and that sacrifices must be shared. However, over the last two fiscal years, public
broadcasters have lost nearly 13% of their total federal funding including the elimination of
both PTFP funds, which provided ongoing infrastructure assistance, and CPB Digital funds,
which, until its elimination in FY 2012, was still providing stations with much needed assistance
in addressing remaining digital conversion needs.
WHY SHOULD FEDERAL FUNDS SUPPORT PUBLIC BROADCASTING INFRASTRUCTURE?
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The lack of PTFP funding in recent years has created a significant backlog of much
needed infrastructure and capital investments.
o A recent extensive study of public television stations nationwide found that there
are currently $600 million in much-needed backlogged projects that are putting
stations’ ability to provide quality, reliable service to their communities at risk.
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The infrastructure needs of American’s public broadcasters are not declining.
Many stations converted to digital broadcasting 10 or more years ago and the very
expensive equipment involved has already passed its life expectancy and needs to
be updated.
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There are needs of over $200 million alone to replace aging towers—with
many stations operating towers that are more than 40 years old.
Other stations continue to limp along with 20 and 30 year-old electronics
that were meant to last 10 years.
Federal funding for public broadcasting infrastructure would be critical
seed money toward helping stations address these needs
In fact, a recent survey of public television stations found that in the next
five years, every public television station in the system faces capital
equipment replacement and upgrade needs of at least $1 million, with
50% of stations facing at least $3 million in needed improvements in
the next 5 years.
Just as our nation’s highways require maintenance, so does the infrastructure that delivers
public service media into nearly every U.S. household.
o Neglecting needed improvements abandons the investment Congress and
American taxpayers have made in the public broadcasting system. Like all
infrastructure projects, the costs and risks of no action exponentially rise each
year that vital projects are left unfunded.

Currently, if a natural or man-made disaster destroys a local station’s equipment, that
station will have no federal program to turn to for immediate assistance to help get back
on the air to provide their citizens with the critical emergency information and services
they need.
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Until its elimination, PTFP continued to provide stations with much needed assistance to
establish first-time public broadcasting service.
o In fact, in 2010, 25% of the funds awarded went to extend new public
broadcasting service—providing first-time public radio service to over 500,000
people. Ten of those projects are providing new service to Native American
communities. Now, without PTFP, communities have nowhere to turn for the
critical resources necessary to establish a station.
PTFP RESULTS

On average, stations leveraged PTFP funding to locally raise an additional 50% of
infrastructure and maintenance costs—resulting in a very successful public-private
partnership committed to protecting one of this nation’s most valued resources.

PTFP funding has ensured that over 98% of American households have access to the
reliable educational, cultural and public affairs programming offered by their local
stations.
Public television calls on Congress to restore critical public broadcasting infrastructure
funding.