Foundation Journal

An article this week in the Kansas City Star reminded readers that government funding for public broadcasting outlets is not a sure thing. The loss of public funding can impact locally-produced shows and programming quality. For community radio stations like KKFI 90.1 FM in Kansas City that receive no government funding for their daily operating budget this is a small consolation. The good news is that KKFI is sustaining its 70 local programs through donations from listeners, but it's not easy.  Map of state funding cuts to public media (2008-2012).  Source: On the Chopping Block: State Budget Battles and the Future of Public Media, freepress.net, November 2011 Most Kansas City area public and community media outlets like KKFI, KCUR-FM 89.3 and KCPT-TV get the overwhelming majority of the funding from non-government sources, but still "small government" advocates like Kansas Governor Sam Brownback argue for killing all government funding of public media.

Susan Crawford, author of  Captive Audience , o utlines a situation where large telecommunications companies have divided up the digital landscape, making it extremely expensive, especially for low-income families. She discusses the digital divide expanding because large rural areas are without Internet access and low-income families are unable to afford the access. She makes an argument for a public-private initiative with some regulation to develop high-speed, affordable Internet access similar to the rural electrification act during the Roosevelt administration of the 1930’s.  Instead of ensuring that everyone in America can compete in a global economy, instead of narrowing the divide between rich and poor, instead of supporting competitive free markets for American inventions that use information--instead, that is, of ensuring that America will lead the world in the information age--U.S. politicians have chosen to keep Comcast and its fellow giants happy. She discussed the chal