The House Finance Committee on Tuesday restored funding for public broadcasting to $3.5 million, a move that will help keep numerous stations alive and protect more than 80 jobs, according to paperwork accompanying the amendment.
The proposed amount in the 2017 operating budget represents an $800,000 cut compared to funding levels the year before, a reduction that also had been proposed by Gov. Bill Walker.
The amendment restored $2.7 million that had been removed by a House finance subcommittee in February in an effort to help close the state's enormous budget gap caused by low oil prices.
Three members of the Republican-led House majority proposed the amendment, Rep. Cathy Munoz, R-Juneau, Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, and Rep. Mark Neuman, R-Big Lake.
The cut would impact the ability to broadcast legislative proceedings in Juneau to rural communities, according to the amendment.
Edgmon said the restored funding will keep small, rural radio stations in his district alive so they can continue providing critical information for numerous villages, including in the Bristol Bay region each summer when thousands of summertime salmon fishermen and processors need timely updates on fishing openers.
"From the safety aspect to entertainment to providing community and regional hotlines, the radio stations are our lifeline to the greater world in rural Alaska," Edgmon said.