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| REP. TOM BLILEY | |
 July 20, 1999 
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The statement of Rep. Tom Bliley (R-VA) before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Production.
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Thank you, Mr. Chairman for your hard work on this important issue and for holding this hearing this morning. Today, the Subcommittee meets once again to discuss the structure and funding of public broadcasting. As the Committee considers legislation to authorize the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, I think it's important to provide a historical back-drop to this dialogue. Congress established the Corporation in 1967 to answer pleas for better, more family friendly informative video programming. At that time, the three commercial television networks dominated the airwaves, and the near universal conclusion at that time was that the networks were building "a vast wasteland of bland programming." Congress stepped in, and created CPB. The idea was that CPB would provide "seed money" to those programmers who had a better vision for American television. It worked. In fact, it worked so well that it spawned a competitive marketplace for similar programming. Hence, the development of "Noggin" … and "the History Channel" … and "Odyssey" … and countless other networks that are dedicated to the principle that video programming can enrich the lives of American families. Needless to say, times have certainly changed. Let me say that I remain concerned about the coarseness of programming on broadcast networks. However, I take solace in the fact that consumers today - compared to 1967 - have a wealth of additional options. All of this suggests that, compared to 1967, the video programming marketplace today is helping to fulfill the needs of American consumers. The Subcommittee must not lose sight of this critical fact as we move forward. We should be very frugal with American taxpayer dollars in light of the fact that the marketplace is helping to serve the needs of American consumers. This is not to say that there is no role for federal funding here. The marketplace still has yet to fill some critical gaps … including those areas where consumers have no access to cable or satellite. In those homes, public broadcasting is a critical link to valuable information and entertainment. And Congress needs to ensure that it will remain so. But Congress also needs to be careful as it balances the interests of taxpayers with the needs of unserved markets. Moreover, we should have a plan in place for reducing over time the American taxpayers' share of the burden. Finally, with regard to recent evidence that particular public broadcasters exchanged fund-raising lists with political parties. I have sent letters to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Public Broadcasting Service and the Association of America's Public Television Stations requesting all such records and information relating to these alleged practices. I have asked these organizations to report back to me by July 26 with this material. I look forward to learning more about these practices before this Committee considers the final authorization of additional funds for CPB in the years to come. I once again thank the Subcommittee Chairman for his hard work in this area, and I look forward to working with him as the process moves forward. |
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