Public broadcasters are pleased with President Obama’s proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2017, released Tuesday.
The $4.1 trillion budget proposal would provide CPB with level funding of $445 million in an advance appropriation for FY 2019, $50 million for public broadcasting interconnection in FY 2017 and level funding of $25.7 million for the Department of Education’s Ready To Learn program.
“This federal investment is so important as it reflects the nation’s enduring support of public media and allows public media stations throughout the county, rural and urban, to build on this financial foundation to leverage support from the private sector,” said CPB CEO Patricia Harrison in a statement.
In a statement, the Association of Public Television Stations also said it was “grateful” for the president’s recommended funding.
In December, Congress approved the 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which included $40 million for interconnection upgrades, $445 million for CPB in FY 2018 and $25.7 million for Ready To Learn.
Ready To Learn and interconnection funding had been threatened in earlier versions of last year’s appropriations bill.
The budget proposal now goes to Congress, though the Republican-controlled House and Senate budget committees have said they will not review it.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the fiscal year of the proposed $50 million for public broadcasting interconnection. The correct fiscal year is 2017.
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