[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2384 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2384

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize appropriations for 
                the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 29, 1999

 Mr. Tauzin (for himself, Mr. Markey, and Mr. Dingell) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize appropriations for 
                the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Corporation for Public Broadcasting 
Authorization Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC 
              BROADCASTING.

    Section 396(k)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
396(k)(1)) is amended by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the 
following new subparagraph:
    ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--
            ``(i) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        to the Fund--
                    ``(I) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2000;
                    ``(II) $340,000,000 for fiscal year 2001; and
                    ``(III) for each of the fiscal years 2002, 2003, 
                2004, 2005, and 2006, an amount equal to 40 percent of 
                the total amount of non-Federal financial support 
                received by public broadcasting entities during the 
                fiscal year second preceding each such fiscal year, 
                except that the amount so appropriated shall not exceed 
                $475,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.
            ``(ii) Transition to digital broadcasting.--In addition to 
        the amount under clause (i), there is authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Fund, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, and 
        $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 
        2003, for costs associated with the transition of public 
        broadcasting to provide digital broadcasting services, 
        including for the support of digital program production, 
        development, and distribution.
            ``(iii) Allocation of digital broadcasting amounts.--
        Notwithstanding paragraph (3), any amounts appropriated 
        pursuant to clause (ii) shall be distributed by the 
        Corporation, in consultation with stations and their national 
        representative, as grants to licensees and permittees of public 
        television and radio broadcast stations or the public 
        broadcasting entities they designate, or both, only for the 
        purposes under clause (ii).''.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS 
              FACILITIES PROGRAM GRANTS.

    The first sentence of section 391 of the Communications Act of 1934 
(47 U.S.C. 391) is amended to read as follows: ``There is authorized to 
be appropriated $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, $110,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2001, $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, $89,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2003, and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
2004, to be used by the Secretary of Commerce to assist in the planning 
and construction of public telecommunications facilities, including 
analog and digital broadcast facilities, as provided in this 
subpart.''.
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