House Republicans Pass Bill Defunding Public Broadcasting, Net Neutrality
by Matthew Schafer February 19, 2011

On Saturday, the House passed the budget bill H.R. 1, a bill that would defund public media and prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from enforcing its new net neutrality rules by withholding funding. In total, the bill, which passed by a 235 to 189 vote, cuts 61.5 billion dollars from the budget. It now heads to the Senate.

In its current form, the bill will withdraw any obligation on the part of Congress to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which doles out public media funds, beyond 2012. Currently, the CPB receives around $420 million, or $1.40 per capita from the federal government.

The CPB was founded in 1967, in order to “complement, assist, and support a national policy that will most effectively make public telecommunications services available to all citizens of the United States.â€