Noncommercial Television
In a
statement submitted to the Federal Communications Commission on
August 1, the Foundation opened up an intense national discussion
of the revolutionary implications of communications satellites for
television and the well-being of American society. It proposed the
creation of a satellite system to serve both noncommercial
television—informational, cultural, and
instructional—and commercial television.
The
Foundation set forth a model system—one way, but not
necessarily the only way, to unlock "the unlimited potential of
noncommercial television for human welfare and the quality of
American life." The yield would be twofold:
-
first, a
transmission system free of charge. (The nation's 115 noncommercial
stations are not connected because they cannot afford present
charges for long-distance transmission.)
-
second, a
major new source of funds for programming and operations of
noncommercial television, whose full development has been stunted
by chronic underfinancing. (Satellites are destined in the next few
years to replace costlier land-based transmission, and substantial
new funds for noncommercial television could come from the savings
the commercial networks would enjoy.)
The
Foundation described a domestic satellite system as a national
resource, since the underlying space technology was created by
multi-billion dollar government research. Ownership of the resource
by a nonprofit corporation, and application of part of the benefits
to noncommercial television, the Foundation stated, would
constitute a fitting dividend for the American people.
A United
States Senate subcommittee held a week-long hearing in mid-August
on the Foundation's proposal. Witnesses included McGeorge Bundy,
president of the Foundation, and Fred W. Friendly, television
adviser; commercial and educational broadcasters; the
Communications Satellite Corporation, a private corporation
licensed for international communications, which itself seeks a
franchise to own a domestic system; and the American Telephone and
Telegraph Company, which owns the major part of the land-based
cable and microwave system through which long-distance television
is presently transmitted
As Congress
and the F.C.C. studied various proposals, the Foundation began
conferences with educators and community leaders across the country
to invite suggestions on how the proposed satellite system could be
most effective for informational, cultural, and instructional
television.
The
Foundation's submission, which was based on experts' analyses of
legal, economic, and scientific aspects, also urged that no final
decision be made before the report of the Carnegie Commission, a
special body organized in 1965 by Carnegie Corporation to study the
future of noncommercial television. (The report was scheduled for
publication early in 1967.)
The
Foundation does not seek to own or operate a satellite system, but
it is prepared to join with others in making a formal proposal to
the F.C.C. for the establishment of a nonprofit domestic satellite
corporation with trustees representing noncommercial and commercial
broadcasters, foundations, schools, universities, and, perhaps,
government.
In addition
to benefits for noncommercial television, the model system
suggested such advantages as an expanded number of television
channels (in each time zone, six for commercial broadcasting, one
for noncommercial informational and cultural programs for home
viewers, and four for instructional television at all levels from
grade school to university); live instructional programs for some
60 million students; and a wider choice for the viewing public
through an effective "second force" offering a continuous flow of
cultural and informational programs in prime time.
The
Foundation advanced its views in response to an F.C.C. invitation
to interested parties to comment on the crucial public policy
question of who shall own