PubCasters Meet for Capitol Hill Day After ‘Tumultuous’ 2005
Public TV executives next week head to their Capitol Hill Day in record numbers, hoping 2006 won’t replay 2005, a year that saw their federal allocation faced a cut of nearly 50% and the Corp. for Public Bcstg. rocked by controversy over then Chmn. Kenneth Tomlinson’s efforts to infuse conservative “balance” into PBS shows. “It was by far the most tumultuous [year] in recent memory,” said Assn of Public TV Stations (APTS) Pres. John Lawson. The projected record attendance of more than 200 reflects the “high level” of station interest this year in public TV’s federal agenda, he added.
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Public broadcasters got funds restored in the House and won allocations for a digital emergency alert system, showing that “grassroots advocacy tied to the promise of our digital technology is a formula for success,” Lawson said. Public broadcasters should be ready to repeat that campaign “again and again,” he said. With the cable multicast must carry issue retired, 2006 will focus on funding, he said. Funding priorities include assuring continued advance appropriations for CPB and set aside for a new public TV interconnection system, he said.
A much-awaited CPB reform legislative package wouldn’t be unveiled at the conference, Lawson said. The reason is a lack of “real movement” on the Hill on CPB reauthorization to which the reforms could be tied, he said. CPB’s last Congressional reauthorization, in 1992, expired years ago, he said. APTS members are encouraged by the CPB board’s efforts to reform its governance and operations, he said. CPB reforms don’t top the 2006 meeting agenda, but “when there is an opportunity for CPB reauthorization legislation we are going to take a multi-decade view of ensuring that there is very strong and effective governance at CPB. Our legislative position is not a judgement on the performance of any particular CPB board, including this one,” he said.
On Congressional passage of a DTV bill, Lawson said while public TV hopes Congress moves a 2nd bill, it will focus in the meantime on how funds designated to the NTIA, including the set-top box and consumer awareness programs, are administered. The original House DTV bill allotted $5 million at APTS to use in consumer awareness outreach to over-the-air households, he said: “We are building a coalition of consumer electronics manufacturers and retailers as well as consumer groups to present to NTIA a broad plan for consumer awareness that would include the $5 million in the DTV bill, plus some matching support from public television and other organizations.” Lawson said public broadcasters are pursuing a trust fund from spectrum auctions through the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust (DOIT) initiative. It will be a challenge to talk to Congress about a trust fund when it’s concentrating on using auction revenue for deficit reduction, he said: “But we will continue to our case.”
Multicast carriage negotiations with the American Cable Assn. (ACA) continue, Lawson said. Denying there were any major hitches, Lawson said the delay in signing a pact “just involves the complexity of ACA’s membership and ours.” ACA firms range widely in size and technical capabilities, so a one-size-fits-all agreement isn’t possible, he added. In a carriage deal APTS struck last year with NCTA, MSOs will carry up to 4 multicast channels of public TV stations.
In contrast, negotiations with DBS operators are stalled, Lawson said: “We are still talking but at some point I hope Congress will face the issue of DBS digital carriage of public television.” He said he hopes if ACA and the telcos strike a carriage deal there will be “pressure on DBS” for multicast carriage. Even with HD carriage, he said, it is “disappointing and disturbing” that DirecTV chose to leave public TV “completely in the cold” in its local-into- local service in major markets. As for the telcos, he said APTS has had some “positive discussions” with Verizon and SBC (now AT&T). While not able to say when they will reach agreement, he said, “we are encouraged by the openness of the telcos to a negotiated carriage agreement.” An AT&T spokesman said the company doesn’t comment on “programmer negotiations.” Confirming digital carriage talks with APTS, a Verizon spokesman would say only “we look forward to offering their content to our subscribers.”
Lawson said stations chosen for phase 2 of the APTS- Dept. of Homeland Security EAS trial (CD Dec 15 p9) will be named soon. Of 17 stations that sent proposals, 10 will be picked. A $500,000 DHS grant expanded the trial from Washington, D.C., area stations to stations nationwide in different terrain, environments and population densities that could affect alert system performance. The pilot would be completed in the spring, Lawson said: “We are hopeful that DHS will begin a national rollout sometime this year and that the funding in the DTV bill for public alert and warning system will finish the job.” Project participants also include Cingular, Nextel, Verizon, T- Mobile and Sprint, CTIA, FCC, Federal Emergency Management Agency, XM, Comcast and NCTA.