Cutting a billion from the budget is significant, but ending public media funding may do more harm than good in our district.
As Senator Lisa Murkowski said, public stations are “not just your news - it is your tsunami alert, it is your landslide alert, it is your volcano alert.” In Colorado, they are our wildfire, hailstorm, flood, and winter weather alert systems.
Some Colorado communities rely on public broadcasting as their only consistent signal. Stations like KSUT in Ignacio and KVNF in Paonia serve vast, mountainous regions where commercial media is scarce and broadband or cell service is unreliable. In places like Mancos, Crested Butte, and the San Luis Valley, public stations are often the sole source of emergency alerts and local news.
Now that federal funding has been cut, critical questions arise:
- What plan is in place to ensure rural residents still receive timely alerts for wildfires, floods, hail, and winter storms
- In areas where public broadcasting was the only signal, what alternatives are being developed/funded to deliver warnings
- How is the federal government coordinating with state and local agencies to address this communications gap, especially for rural, aging, or low-income residents who rely on radio and TV over smartphones?
The savings may look good on paper, but the real-world consequences, especially in an emergency, could be disastrous.
I urge Rep. Hurd to consider the implications of this decision and to advocate for solutions that preserve or restore the critical role public broadcasting plays in protecting Coloradans.
Carla Hendrickson
Pueblo
