BILL ANALYSIS
Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
SB 2012 ( Speier)
Hearing Date: 5/25/00 Amended: 5/2/00
Consultant: Bob Franzoia Policy Vote: E, U&C 7-3
____________________________________________________________
___
BILL SUMMARY: This bill would appropriate $25 million to be
administered by the Office of Emergency Services (OES) for
matching fund grants to public television and radio
stations to install digital broadcasting equipment. The
bill would require stations receiving funding to dedicate
an emergency broadcast channel.
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03
Fund
Appropriation $25,000 General
STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE.
Pursuant to an act of Congress, the Federal Communications
Commission has required that public television stations
change their broadcast signal from an analog signal to a
digital signal by 2003. There are 14 public television
stations and 23 public radio stations in the state. The
estimated cost of conversion is $140 million. None receive
any state support. (Commercial stations are required to
convert to digital by an earlier date.)
75 percent of the funds shall be available for television
stations and 25 percent shall be available for radio
stations. 50 percent of the funds in each pool shall be
divided equally among the stations in that grant pool. The
remaining 50 percent of the funds in each grant pool shall
be divided among stations in that grant pool in proportion
to their nonfederal financial support. Funds provided
shall be granted on a matching basis, with each station
required to raise from other sources an amount equal to the
funds provided to it under the bill.
Staff Recommends the bill be amended to provide for the
administrative costs of the OES.
In 1999, the Appropriations Committee held SB 844 (Schiff)
which revised the membership of the California Broadcasting
Commission and stated legislative intent that funding be
made available through the budget to assist with the cost
of digital conversion.