For nearly 100 years, U.S. governmental bodies have recognized the role of broadcasting in serving Americans' educational and informational needs. Long before the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act in 1967, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), responsible for implementing and enforcing our nation’s communications laws and regulations, dedicated specific bands of spectrum for non-commercial educational (NCE) broadcasters. By doing so, the FCC helped foster a media environment that serves the diverse educational needs of the American public and enabled NCE broadcasters to reach underserved audiences, including children, minorities, those with disabilities, and rural populations.
Public broadcasting stations, as holders of NCE licenses, have a uniquely defined mission in providing Americans with non-commercial content that enriches our civil society. Federal taxpayer support of public media enables universal access and pursuit of the public interest over commercial pressures. This public-private partnership enables the production and distribution of a wide range of content that is not typically found elsewhere in the media marketplace, such as research-driven, educational programming, in-depth news reporting, state and local legislative coverage, local issue forums and town halls, public safety campaigns, and regional cultural affairs programs.
To help fulfill our country's increasing demand for spectrum, the FCC continues to manage spectrum through licensing, regulation, and allocation. Since 1994, the FCC has utilized the market-based approach of spectrum auctions to allocate limited spectrum to meet our nation’s social, economic, and safety needs.
As the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting, CPB takes an interest in our national spectrum policy and its impact on public broadcasting stations. During past spectrum auctions, CPB has provided resources to help public television stations and their licensees evaluate the ramifications of the auction process on their local communities. This has included using outside experts, publishing white papers, and convening national organizations and stations to discuss planning, preparation, and compliance issues. CPB has also provided grants to help public broadcasting stations hire experts to study auction participation and advise how to communicate with their boards and community members on highly technical issues.