NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1981 SESSION

CHAPTER 233
HOUSE BILL 589

AN ACT TO PROVIDE AUTHORITY TO MECKLENBURG COUNTY, THE CITY OF CHARLOTTE, AND THE CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SUPPORT NONCOMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO STATIONS.  

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  As used in this act the following terms have the meanings specified: 
(1)	"Support" includes but is not limited to providing funds for: acquisition, construction and renovation of buildings or other structures used in telecommunications, including acquisition or lease of land and other property therefor; production of, or purchase or lease of programs, projects and services produced by others of a noncommercial educational, informational, cultural or scientific nature; acquisition, lease or purchase of materials and equipment; compensation of personnel; and all other operating and maintenance expenses for the operation of a noncommercial television or radio station. 
(2) "Telecommunications" means any origination, creation, transmission, emission, storage-retrieval, or reception of signs, signals, writing, images and sounds, or intelligence of any nature, by wire, radio, television, optical or other electromagnetic systems. 
Sec. 2. A county, city, or school administrative unit is authorized to support or to establish and support television or radio stations engaged primarily in providing telecommunications programming and services for noncommercial informational, educational, cultural, or scientific purposes. 
Sec. 3. A county, city, or school administrative unit may contract with any other political subdivision of the State of North Carolina, with any governmental agency, or with any public or nonprofit private association, corporation or organization to establish or to operate noncommercial television or radio stations; and may appropriate funds to any such political subdivision, governmental agency, or public or nonprofit private association, corporation or organization for the purpose of establishing, operating or supporting such noncommercial television or radio stations. 
Sec. 4. In the event funds appropriated for the purpose of this act are turned over to any other political subdivision of the State of North Carolina, any other governmental agency, or any public or nonprofit private association, corporation or organization for expenditure, no such expenditure shall be made until the governmental unit making the appropriation has approved the budget of the entity to which said funds are turned over for expenditure, and all such expenditures shall be accounted for by the political subdivision, governmental agency, association, corporation or organization at the end of the fiscal year for which they were appropriated. 
Sec. 5. For the purposes set forth in this act, a county, city, or school administrative unit may appropriate funds not otherwise limited as to use by law. 
Sec. 6. This act applies to Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education only. 
Sec. 7. This act is effective upon ratification. 
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 22nd day of April, 1981.