Idaho Public Television needs funding for capital equipment purchases, General Manager Peter Morrill told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee of the state legislature Friday (Jan. 27). The network has not received its usual state appropriation for equipment for the past three years, reports the Spokesman-Review, and is asking for $1.5 million. “Our operating model is not sustainable with current capital funding levels,” Morrill told members. “Continued deferral of equipment repairs and maintenance will lead to loss of service.” The governor’s budget recommendation for IPTV for next year calls for a 0.5 percent increase in general funds.
For much more on the loss of capital equipment funding across the system, see the Jan. 30 issue of Current.