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7 Cosponsors:
8 Patrice M. Arent
9 Stewart E. Barlow
10 Joel K. Briscoe
11 Walt Brooks
12 Scott H. Chew
13 LaVar Christensen
14 Kay J. Christofferson
15 Kim F. Coleman
16 Bruce R. Cutler
17 Rebecca P. Edwards
18 Justin L. Fawson
19 Adam Gardiner
Francis D. Gibson
Stephen G. Handy
Lynn N. Hemingway
Sandra Hollins
Brian S. King
Karen Kwan
A. Cory Maloy
Kelly B. Miles
Lee B. Perry
Jeremy A. Peterson
Dixon M. Pitcher
Val K. Potter
Marie H. Poulson
Tim Quinn
Paul Ray
Edward H. Redd
Douglas V. Sagers
Robert M. Spendlove
Norman K Thurston
Raymond P. Ward
R. Curt Webb
Elizabeth Weight
John R. Westwood
Mike Winder
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21 LONG TITLE
22 General Description:
23 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes the 50th
24 anniversary of the Public Broadcasting Act.
25 Highlighted Provisions:
26 This resolution:
27 ▸ recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Public Broadcasting Act and Utah's three
28 public television stations; and
29 ▸ recognizes the success and important services provided by KUEN, KUED, and
30 KBYU.
31 Special Clauses:
32 None
33
34 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
35 WHEREAS, Utah public television stations deliver essential educational programs,
36 resources, emergency alert services, and community engagement to all Utah residents;
37 WHEREAS, Utah public television stations provide programming for Utahns
38 throughout all of life's stages, such as early childhood, elementary, middle and high school,
39 postsecondary school, and beyond, in roles that include students, teachers, parents, caregivers,
40 and lifelong learners;
41 WHEREAS, the services of Utah public television broadcasters continue to advance
42 excellence through programs delivered over the air, online, and in-person that educate, engage,
43 and inspire;
44 WHEREAS, 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Public Broadcasting Act enacted
45 by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson "for the
46 enlightenment of all the people";
47 WHEREAS, Utah has the highest number of over-the-air broadcast viewing households
48 in the nation;
49 WHEREAS, Utah has the highest number of broadcast translators in the nation that
50 relay signals across vast and varied terrain;
51 WHEREAS, Utah public television broadcasters collectively air 12 different digital
52 channels designed to reach diverse audiences in all Utah communities;
53 WHEREAS, Utah public television broadcasters air more than 4,200 hours of
54 educational programming each year for Utah's youngest learners as a safe harbor to prepare
55 them for school;
56 WHEREAS, Utah public television broadcasters offer hundreds of workshops,
57 educational community events, websites, applications and tools, and local productions to
58 parents, caregivers, educators, and community partner organizations to facilitate and impact
59 learning;
60 WHEREAS, Utah public television broadcasters produce award-winning educational
61 programs and services that respond to and reflect local issues and concerns independent of
62 commercial interests;
63 WHEREAS, Utahns of all ages enjoy the benefits of three public television stations:
64 KUEN licensed by the State Board of Regents, KUED licensed by the University of Utah, and
65 KBYU licensed by Brigham Young University;
66 WHEREAS, at its inception and today, it is in the public interest to grow and develop
67 public broadcasting services for instructional, educational, and cultural purposes;
68 WHEREAS, Utah has rich heritage as a crossroads of communication technologies
69 from the invention of television by native son Philo T. Farnsworth, to telegraph operations
70 along transcontinental railroad lines, to Fourth Node on ARPANET, predecessor to the
71 Internet, to robust fiber-optic networks;
72 WHEREAS, the Public Broadcasting Act in 1967 further enabled growth of the Internet
73 managed by Utah Education Network (KUEN) and the Utah Telehealth Network to connect all
74 Utah schools, public libraries, telehealth clinics and hospitals, colleges, and universities;
75 WHEREAS, the Utah Legislature formally established the Utah Education Network as
76 the statewide delivery system for education telecommunications in Utah in 1989;
77 WHEREAS, KUEN's purpose is to connect people and technologies to improve
78 education and healthcare in Utah;
79 WHEREAS, KUEN, one of the nation's premier education networks, connects all Utah
80 school districts, schools, and higher education institutions to a robust network and quality
81 educational resources and services that have resulted in students earning higher education
82 credits equivalent to more than 4,145 bachelor's degrees since 2010 and over 5,000 Utah
83 educators learning how to integrate education technology to enhance teaching and learning
84 each year;
85 WHEREAS, KUED signed on the air in 1958 and is recognized as one of the leading
86 public television stations in the country;
87 WHEREAS, KUED's mission is to entertain, inform, and enrich its viewers with
88 exceptional content and be a valued community resource;
89 WHEREAS, KUED is the first station to ever win the Rocky Mountain Emmy Award
90 of Excellence for the Best Overall TV Station, a major recognition of the station's commitment
91 to serve the community through its award-winning productions and outreach programs that
92 engage Utahns with more than 500 workshops and events annually;
93 WHEREAS, KBYU began broadcasts in 1965 and is a viewer-supported public
94 television service of BYU Broadcasting and Brigham Young University;
95 WHEREAS, KBYU broadcasts to the state of Utah and parts of Idaho, Wyoming, and
96 Montana, with nearly one million viewers tuning in each week;
97 WHEREAS, as part of its mission, KBYU airs family-focused and educational
98 programs that educate, entertain, and uplift, and produces high-quality original content such as
99 documentaries that capture the unique history and culture of our great state; and
100 WHEREAS, the three stations continue to innovate with new technologies and media
101 delivery systems for the benefit of all Utahns:
102 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Public Broadcasting Act signed into
103 law 50 years ago in 1967 "for the enlightenment of all people" has spawned and facilitated the
104 success of public broadcasting television throughout the state, with the services of KUEN,
105 KUED, and KBYU providing immeasurable impact on the education and enlightenment of
106 Utah's children, youth, students, parents, lifelong learners, and community members.
107 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the governing
108 boards of each station, the Federal Communications Commission, the Corporation for Public
109 Broadcasting, and members of the Utah congressional delegation.