Dept of Commerce Grants Help Public Broadcasting

For over 40 years, Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) has played a major role in the development of public broadcasting throughout the United States. With the programs assistance, a public television signal now reaches about 95% of our nation's population and public radio reaches approximately 90% of the population. The program has also funded radio reading services and descriptive video services for the disabled and numerous distance learning facilities that provide instructional programming for students and professionals. For Fiscal Year 2005, $21.4 million in federal PTFP grants will assist public radio, public television and nonbroadcast (distance learning) projects across the country. $11.7 million will go to 33 grantees to assist in the digital conversion of public television facilities; $7.4 million will fund 73 radio grants; $383,000 is for five television equipment replacement grants; $1.5 million is for 11 distance learning grants; and one grant was made to the University of Hawaii for $499,415 for the PEACESAT (Pan Pacific Educational and Cultural Experiments by Satellite) project. The total amount awarded by PTFP in FY 2005 is $21.4 million for 123 grants.
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]