Two subcommittees of Congress adjourned hearings this month without a clear consensus on future funding of public broadcasting.
Conflicts surround nearly every option.
Compromise may be possible on the polarized issue of on-air advertising, however. Spokesmen on both sides signaled that they are not far apart on the issue, and may work out some further loosening of underwriting rules. Stevens said that investing billions in the trust fund would simply cost taxpayers hundreds of millions a year in additional interest on the national debt. I don't see the taxpayers standing still for that gift. In the Senate hearing, the trust fund got a strong pitch from Newton Minow and a burst of support by Pressler.