The Senate Was Right To Defund NPR and PBS
The Senate has voted to cancel $1.1 billion in public funding for NPR and PBS, a move described as “an unusual surrender of congressional spending power” by The New York Times, though the only thing particularly unusual here is the federal government deciding not to spend money.
NPR CEO Katherine Maher has fought this outcome tooth and nail. During an appearance on CNN, she made the case that public radio was a vital source of information in rural areas that lack adequate cellphone service and internet access.
“There’s a real understanding of the need there, as well as for emergency alerting, in which public media plays an extraordinarily important role,” she said.
NPR CEO Katherine Maher argues rural America often has no other possible source of news or connection to the outside world EXCEPT through PBS and NPR: “Large rural communities, large tribal communities” don’t have “a lot of other options. Broadband service is not universal, and… pic.twitter.com/OFWuQTCa2E
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 16, 2025
This argument is hard to take seriously. While it’s true that there are places in the U.S. that don’t have reliable internet access, it does not follow that federally subsidizing an outmoded means of distributing information is the answer. If the government is going to do something about a lack of connection, it should spend more money on building infrastructure or clearing the way for private interests to provide the services that people need. If they value it, they will pay for it. And during an age in which Elon Musk’s Starlink can use satellites to provide high-speed internet to
Article from Reason.com
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