1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to communications; appropriating money for 
  1.3             grants to noncommercial television. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [DIGITAL TELEVISION CONVERSION APPROPRIATION.] 
  1.6      $7,800,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  1.7   commissioner of administration for grants to noncommercial 
  1.8   television stations to assist with conversion to a digital 
  1.9   broadcast signal as mandated by the federal government.  
  1.10     The grants must be paid within 30 days after the effective 
  1.11  date of this act to the following stations, each of which has 
  1.12  already met the criteria established for grants in Minnesota 
  1.13  Statutes, section 129D.12, subdivision 2, and has certified to 
  1.14  the Federal Communications Commission that it will convert to a 
  1.15  digital broadcast signal: 
  1.16     KAWB-DT Brainerd; 
  1.17     KAWE-DT Bemidji; 
  1.18     KFME-DT Fargo-Moorhead; 
  1.19     KGFE-DT Crookston; 
  1.20     KSMN-DT Chandler; 
  1.21     KSMQ-DT Austin; 
  1.22     KTCA-DT St. Paul; 
  1.23     KTCI-DT St. Paul; 
  1.24     KWCM-DT Appleton; and 
  2.1      WDSE-DT Duluth. 
  2.2      The grants must be paid in equal shares, except that 
  2.3   KFME-DT and KGFE-DT must each be paid a 40 percent share. 
  2.4      When the grantee's digital broadcasting infrastructure is 
  2.5   fully operational, but not before January 1, 2004, the grantee 
  2.6   must make available to the state of Minnesota one of its 
  2.7   standard definition digital channels for a period of five hours 
  2.8   per week for the purposes of broadcasting nonpartisan public 
  2.9   service programming, at a time or times of the commissioner's 
  2.10  choosing, provided that the commissioner must exercise the 
  2.11  discretion reasonably and without undue disruption to or 
  2.12  interference with the regular broadcast program schedule of the 
  2.13  grantee.  The grantee's obligation to broadcast the programming 
  2.14  is subject to applicable state and federal rules and 
  2.15  regulations, including but not limited to, the grantee's 
  2.16  obligations to exercise editorial control, and expires three 
  2.17  years after the commencement of the programming.  
  2.18     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.19     This act is effective the day following final enactment.