WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) urged senators to maintain funding for the nation’s Emergency Alert System through Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS).
On the Senate floor, Cantwell criticized a proposed Senate bill that would cut $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This funding supports 1,500 local public radio and television stations nationwide.
Sen. Cantwell emphasized the importance of public broadcasting in delivering emergency alerts, especially in rural areas.
“We’re not just putting PBS at risk here, we’re putting millions of Americans who depend on local media for life-saving information [at risk],” she said. “PBS stations running on backup generators are built to broadcast through disasters.”
She explained how these stations provide crucial alerts for tornadoes, fires, floods and other emergencies such as the 2018 earthquake in Alaska and the 2021 Kentucky tornadoes, where public radio was the sole source of news after power and cell towers failed.
“For thousands of Alaskans, that familiar voice on radio was their only connection to vital information,” she added.
