Senate Bill sb1620

    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1620

    By Senator Rich





    34-1010A-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the public broadcasting

  3         system for the state; amending s. 1001.26,

  4         F.S.; requiring that the system support certain

  5         radio and television stations that are licensed

  6         by the Federal Communications Commission as

  7         full-power, noncommercial educational broadcast

  8         systems; authorizing the Department of

  9         Education to provide funding for stations that

10         are licensed as noncommercial educational;

11         providing an effective date.

12  

13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

14  

15         Section 1.  Subsections (1) and (2) of section 1001.26,

16  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

17         1001.26  Public broadcasting program system.--

18         (1)  There is created a public broadcasting program

19  system for the state. The department shall administer this

20  program system pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of

21  Education. This program system must complement and share

22  resources with the instructional programming service of the

23  Department of Education and educational UHF, VHF, ITFS, and FM

24  stations in the state. The program system must include:

25         (a)  Support for existing Corporation for Public

26  Broadcasting qualified program system educational radio and

27  television stations and new stations meeting Corporation for

28  Public Broadcasting qualifications or licensed by the Federal

29  Communications Commission as full-power, noncommercial

30  educational broadcast systems and providing a first service to

31  an audience that does not currently receive a broadcast signal

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1620
    34-1010A-07




 1  or providing a significant new program service as defined by

 2  rule by the State Board of Education.

 3         (b)  Maintenance of quality broadcast capability for

 4  educational stations that are part of the program system.

 5         (c)  Interconnection of all educational stations that

 6  are part of the program system for simultaneous broadcast and

 7  of such stations with all universities and other institutions

 8  as necessary for sharing of resources and delivery of

 9  programming.

10         (d)  Establishment and maintenance of a capability for

11  statewide program distribution with facilities and staff,

12  provided such facilities and staff complement and strengthen

13  existing or future educational television and radio stations

14  in accordance with paragraph (a) and s. 1001.25(2)(c).

15         (e)  Provision of both statewide programming funds and

16  station programming support for educational television and

17  educational radio to meet statewide priorities. Priorities for

18  station programming need not be the same as priorities for

19  programming to be used statewide. Station programming may

20  include, but shall not be limited to, citizens' participation

21  programs, music and fine arts programs, coverage of public

22  hearings and governmental meetings, equal air time for

23  political candidates, and other public interest programming.

24         (2)(a)  The Department of Education is responsible for

25  implementing the provisions of this section pursuant to s.

26  282.102 and may employ personnel, acquire equipment and

27  facilities, and perform all duties necessary for carrying out

28  the purposes and objectives of this section.

29         (b)  The department shall provide through educational

30  television and other electronic media a means of extending

31  educational services to all the state system of public

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1620
    34-1010A-07




 1  education. The department shall recommend to the State Board

 2  of Education rules necessary to provide such services.

 3         (c)  The department is authorized to provide equipment,

 4  funds, and other services to extend and update both the

 5  existing and the proposed educational television and radio

 6  systems of tax-supported and nonprofit, corporate-owned

 7  facilities. All stations funded must be qualified by the

 8  Corporation for Public Broadcasting or licensed by the Federal

 9  Communications Commission as full-power, noncommercial

10  educational broadcast systems. New stations eligible for

11  funding shall provide a first service to an audience that is

12  not currently receiving a broadcast signal or provide a

13  significant new program service as defined by State Board of

14  Education rules. Funds appropriated to the department for

15  educational television and funds appropriated to the

16  department for educational radio may be used by the department

17  for either educational television or educational radio, or for

18  both.

19         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

20  

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22                          SENATE SUMMARY

23    Requires that certain radio and television stations
      licensed as full-power, noncommercial educational
24    broadcast systems by the Federal Communications
      Commission be supported under the state public
25    broadcasting system. Authorizes the Department of
      Education to provide funding for such stations.
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