Statement regarding advanced funding for CPB for fiscal year 2008
July 14, 2005
We applaud the Senate Appropriations Committee for voting to provide $400 million in advanced funding for CPB for fiscal year 2008 in this year's Labor-HHS appropriations bill. Since 1976, Congress has recognized that advanced funding is critical to the success of the public broadcasting system as it is the foundation on which CPB, stations, and producers build their work—offering two years of lead time to raise money, plan budgets, and produce and acquire programs. We are also extremely grateful for the committee's approval of $35 million for public broadcasting's digital conversion efforts and $40 million for public broadcasting's interconnection system in FY 2006. We will continue to work with our colleagues in the public broadcasting community as the appropriations measure makes its way through Congress.