S.C.’s public broadcasting network ETV (which manages 11 TV stations, 8 radio stations + a system that connects all those services) is set to get at least $35 million to pay for a number of facility projects over the next 10 years, like building improvements + transmission tower upgrades.
The money came from SCETV’s sale of their Greenville airway space to the Federal Communication Commission. The FCC sold this freed-up airway space for $43.2 million to wireless + telecommunications companies looking for capacity.
Now, the state is deciding whether SCETV will be granted all $43.2 million for improvements or just the $35 million, allowing the remaining money to go to schools for new school buses (because, remember, the old ones are exploding). House and Senate budget negotiators are still trying to make a deal (the key difference in the two proposals: more money for the pension system vs. colleges). The Senate passed a continuing budget resolution that will maintain current spending levels if a deal is not reached by July 1.
