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12/02/02

PTFP Grants Help Stations Extend Coverage Area and Secure Future

Deep within the Department of Commerce, in a maze of acronyms, is a federal grant program that every public radio station should know about—the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program, more commonly referred to as PTFP.

For more than 35 years, the U.S. government has funded PTFP to help public television and radio stations extend their programming to unserved audiences. The program has also funded radio reading services and descriptive video services for the disabled and numerous distance learning facilities that provide instructional programming for students and professionals.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which administers the program, estimates that the 2002 awards will extend public radio signals to more than 500,000 people in previously unserved areas. Among the ways this will be accomplished is through the use of satellite-fed networks to transmit programming to repeaters and translators in areas where geography makes it difficult to extend signals with towers or landlines.

PTFP is a competitive program. In 2002, NTIA received 112 radio applications, requesting approximately $12 million. It awarded 52 public radio grants, totaling nearly $4 million, and ranging in amount from less than $20,000 to more than $220,000, with an average award of approximately $73,000.

The program is funded annually through the Department of Commerce, and the total available funds varies from year to year. Details on the 2003 PTFP program are scheduled to be announced by December. While specific application requirements will not be known until then, the application deadline is typically at the beginning of February.

All public, non-commercial broadcast stations or groups of stations are eligible for PTFP. Eligible projects are divided into two categories:

• Planning and construction of public radio and television stations.
• Planning and construction of projects which strengthen the capability of existing public TV and radio stations to serve the public.

Stations use the funds to purchase basic equipment, such as audio consoles, CD and minidisc recorders and players, microphones, etc. But, another primary use is funding the installation of repeaters and translators that allow stations to provide new or more reliable service to additional audiences.

Complete information on PTFP is available online at www.ntia.doc.gov/ptfp. Program details for 2003 will be published on this site. The site also includes lists of past awards, including descriptions of the proposed projects, and information on how to apply. Additional information about PTFP is also available on this site.

PTFP grants can be used to purchase satellite equipment and services that will extend coverage to new areas. For more information, please contact Business Affairs at 202.513.2619 or prssbusiness@npr.org.