HB 175

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to the public broadcasting program system;
3amending s. 1001.26, F.S.; including certain television
4stations licensed by the Federal Communications Commission
5for which support and funding may be given; providing an
6effective date.
7
8Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10     Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and paragraph
11(c) of subsection (2) of section 1001.26, Florida Statutes, are
12amended to read:
13     1001.26  Public broadcasting program system.--
14     (1)  There is created a public broadcasting program system
15for the state. The department shall administer this program
16system pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of
17Education. This program system must complement and share
18resources with the instructional programming service of the
19Department of Education and educational UHF, VHF, ITFS, and FM
20stations in the state. The program system must include:
21     (a)  Support for existing Corporation for Public
22Broadcasting qualified program system educational radio and
23television stations, and new stations meeting Corporation for
24Public Broadcasting qualifications and providing a first service
25to an audience that does not currently receive a broadcast
26signal or providing a significant new program service as defined
27by rule by the State Board of Education, and nondenominational
28television stations licensed as of July 1, 2010, by the Federal
29Communications Commission as full-power educational broadcast
30stations.
31     (2)
32     (c)  The department is authorized to provide equipment,
33funds, and other services to extend and update both the existing
34and the proposed educational television and radio systems of
35tax-supported and nonprofit, corporate-owned facilities. All
36stations funded must be qualified by the Corporation for Public
37Broadcasting or be nondenominational television stations
38licensed as of July 1, 2010, by the Federal Communications
39Commission as full-power educational broadcast stations. New
40stations eligible for funding shall provide a first service to
41an audience that is not currently receiving a broadcast signal
42or provide a significant new program service as defined by State
43Board of Education rules. Funds appropriated to the department
44for educational television and funds appropriated to the
45department for educational radio may be used by the department
46for either educational television or educational radio, or for
47both.
48     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.