Code Section

8841.  

For purposes of this article, “eligible television station” means a television station that, at the time of applying for a grant under this article, unless another time is specified, meets all of the following requirements:

(a) It has met all of the following requirements for a period of two years:

(1) It is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as a noncommercial educational television station, or is operating under program test authority pending the grant of a license.

(2) It has its community of license and principal administrative offices in this state, and is not owned, controlled, managed, or primarily financed by any corporation or entity outside of this state.

(3) It provides a program service that meets the requirements for a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

(4) It provides substantial and significant locally originated programming in its community of license.

(5) It broadcasts not less than 2,500 hours per year.

(6) It participates in statewide public broadcasting projects.

(7) It meets the criteria for receipt of a Community Service Grant or base grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that were in effect on June 30, 1994.

(8) It has provided, before its application for a grant under this article, an audited financial statement for the years on which the grant is based.

(b) It enters into a permanent agreement with the Office of Emergency Services to dedicate, as necessary, a broadcast channel for the provision of emergency information, to broadcast that information, and to ensure that it is presented in a format that makes it accessible to the deaf, hard-of-hearing, and non-English-speaking populations throughout its broadcast area, including rural and isolated populations.

(c) At the time of disbursement of the funds, it certifies in writing by the station manager or an officer of the licensee that it has in its public file a plan to address the needs of significant linguistic minorities in its service area.