Senate Committee Funds CPB's Ready To Learn, DTV

SENATE COMMITTEE FUNDS CPB'S READY TO LEARN, DTV
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday approved a 2007 budget for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that leaves intact money for the digital transition, the Ready to Learn initiative, and arguably most importantly, the two-year forward funding process. That's according to CPB President Patricia Harrison, who said CPB was grateful for the money. Forward funding is an attempt to insulate CPB from a politicized budget process, though even with that forward-funding the exercise has become something of a posterchild for politicized budget processes, with Republicans attempting to gut its appropriation, claiming government-subsidized liberal bias, and Democrats holding rallies to combat the cuts, which have mostly, ultimately, been restored. Under the bill, CPB will get $400 million in 2009. In the nearer term, for 2007 it will get $36 million for system interconnection upgrades, $29.7 million for the digital conversion, and $24.2 million for Ready to Learn, which has been in the crosshairs -- despite administration support for the program -- ever since its Postcards From Buster series got some Washington knickers in a twist over its "two mommies" episode. Buster is no longer funded under that program, which has refocused on more curriculum-centric early childhood education.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6355274.html?display=Breaking...

* Statement by CPB President and CEO Pat Harrison
http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=556