Congressional supporters of public broadcasting have formed a 70-member caucus on Capitol Hill to protect the service's interests.
The bipartisan group is chaired by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Amo Houghton (R-N.Y.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Connie Morella (R-Md.) and Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.).
The caucus comes together at a time when public broadcasting is seeking additional financial support from Congress for its transition to digital. With Republicans in power in both Congress and the administration, public broadcasting faces additional challenges in getting federal financing to help its stations convert to digital.
Congress requires public TV stations to be broadcasting in digital by May 2003.
- Paige Albiniak
