Commerce Department Grants $20.8 million to Public Broadcasters for Radio, Television, and Nonbroadcast Projects

The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), on September 23, 2004, announced the award of $20.8 million in funding from the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) to assist public radio, public television and nonbroadcast (distance learning) projects across the country.                                         

Almost $9.8 million of the $20.8 million awarded by PTFP went to 31 grantees to assist in the digital conversion of public television facilities. These 31 digital television conversion awards will be matched by $14.25 million raised by the recipients.

The awards also include $4.4 million for 74 radio grants, $4.4 million for 21 television equipment replacement grants, $1.7 million for 16 nonbroadcast (distance learning) grants, and one grant to the University of Hawaii for $493,130 for the PEACESAT (Pan-Pacific Educational and Cultural Experiments by Satellite) project.

Included in the above totals are six emergency grants awarded during the year, totaling $1.8 million, so stations in Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, North Dakota and Washington State could maintain public broadcasting service.

The total amount awarded by PTFP in FY 2004 is $20.8 million for 143 grants.

More information and a complete list of the FY 2004 PTFP grant awards are available on the PTFP web site at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/ptfp/Projects/2004/index.htm or by calling NTIA at 202-482-5802. A fact sheet on the awards is available at  http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/press/2004/ptfpfactsheet_9302004.htm

In addition to the above 143 projects, NTIA awarded three grants for a total of $2.3 million in Federal funds to three stations in New York City–WNET-TV, WKCR-FM, and WNYC-FM. These grants are the final awards from a $8.25 million special FY 2002 supplemental appropriation to help re-establish the stations’ transmission facilities that were destroyed by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.