*UPDATE* http://www.apts.org/html/whatsnew/Senate_FY04_Subcommittee.htm
APTS, NPR, CPB and PBS Applaud Senate Funding for Public Broadcasting
On June 25, the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations endorsed $400 million in advance appropriations for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in fiscal year 2006. It also recommended that $55 million in "new" money be specifically targeted to the digital conversion and $10 million for the first phase of interconnection for fiscal year 2004.
Public broadcasting applauds the Senate action, as it offers vital support for public broadcasting in its mission to provide quality educational programming and services to the American public. The funding proposed by the Senate will contribute significantly to the efforts of more than 1,000 locally owned public television and radio stations as they translate exciting new technologies into valuable learning tools for every home, school and workplace.
The Senate levels are particularly welcome as they exceed earlier recommendations by the Administration and the House Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. While the Senate's action is an important step, differences in the final two bills passed in the House and Senate will have to be settled in a joint conference later this year.