Congress committee passes omnibus; 8.1 percent more for pubcasting over last year

A House and Senate conference committee has approved a package of six unfinished fiscal 2010 spending bills, including funding for CPB and other pubcasting programs. The $446.8 billion omnibus appropriations bill is expected to pass muster with the House soon, then proceed to the Senate and on to President Barack Obama for his signature. The omnibus gives CPB a $445 million advanced appropriation for FY 2012; $36 million for digital conversion; $25 million for the public radio interconnection system and $27.3 million for Ready To Learn for FY 2010. It also provides $25 million in “fiscal stabilization” grants to pubTV and radio stations. If signed into law, the proposed FY 2012 CPB funding would represent a $15 million, or 3.5 percent, increase over CPB’s FY 2011 levels, and the RTL funding would be $1.9 million, or 7.5 percent, more than FY 2009. In total, the funding represents an increase of $41.7 million, or 8.1 percent, over in last year’s appropriations legislation.