47 USC § 390 - Declaration of purpose

The purpose of this subpart is to assist, through matching grants, in the planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities in order to achieve the following objectives:

(1) extend delivery of public telecommunications services to as many citizens of the United States as possible by the most efficient and economical means, including the use of broadcast and nonbroadcast technologies;

(2) increase public telecommunications services and facilities available to, operated by, and owned by minorities and women; and

(3) strengthen the capability of existing public television and radio stations to provide public telecommunications services to the public.

Source

(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 390, as added Pub. L. 87–447, May 1, 1962, 76 Stat. 64; amended Pub. L. 90–129, title I, § 103(a), title II, § 201(2),Nov. 7, 1967, 81 Stat. 365, 367; Pub. L. 94–309, § 2(c),June 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 683; Pub. L. 95–567, title I, § 101,Nov. 2, 1978, 92 Stat. 2405.)

Amendments

1978—Pub. L. 95–567expanded scope of section to authorize construction financing for telecommunications facilities other than television and radio broadcasting, and assistance in the planning, as well as the construction, of such facilities, and substituted provisions relating to the objectives of this subpart for former provision relating to the demonstration of the use of telecommunication technologies for the distribution of information.

1976—Pub. L. 94–309designated existing phrase relating to assistance in the construction of noncommercial educational broadcasting facilities as cl. (1) and added cl. (2).

1967—Pub. L. 90–129inserted “noncommercial” and “or radio” and substituted “subpart” for “part”, respectively.

Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

Section 403 ofPub. L. 95–567provided that: “The provisions of this Act [enacting section 395 of this title, amending this section and sections 391, 392, 393, 394, and 396 to 398 of this title, repealing sections 392a and 395 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section, sections 392 and 396 of this title, and section 5316 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees], and the amendments made by this Act, shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 2, 1978].”

Grants

Pub. L. 100–584, § 3,Nov. 3, 1988, 102 Stat. 2970, provided that: “The Administrator [of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration] shall enter into discussions with the Federal Communications Commission for the purposes of determining the feasibility of awarding public telecommunications facilities program grants for low-power television stations and television translator stations on a conditional basis pending the award by the Commission of licenses for such stations. The Administrator shall also work with the Commission to establish a schedule for the expedited and coordinated consideration, on a regular basis, of future grant requests and license applications for low-power television stations and television translator stations. The Administrator shall, within ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act [Nov. 3, 1988], report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives on the progress made in carrying out the requirements of this section.”

Study of Educational and Instructional Broadcasting

Pub. L. 90–129, title III, §§ 301–303,Nov. 7, 1967, 81 Stat. 373, authorized the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to conduct, directly or by contract, and in consultation with other interested Federal agencies, a comprehensive study of instructional television and radio (including broadcast, closed circuit, community antenna television, and instructional television fixed services and two-way communication of data links and computers) and their relationship to each other and to instructional materials such as videotapes, films, discs, computers, and other educational materials or devices, and such other aspects thereof as may be of assistance in determining whether and what Federal aid should be provided for instructional radio and television and the form that aid should take, and which may aid communities, institutions, or agencies in determining whether and to what extent such activities should be used. The study was required to be submitted to the President for transmittal to the Congress on or before June 30, 1969.