For purposes of this article, “eligible television station” means a television station that, at the time of applying for a grant under this article, unless another time is specified, meets all of the following requirements:
(a) It has met all of the following requirements for a period of two years:
- (1) It is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as a noncommercial educational television station, or is operating under program test authority pending the grant of a license.
- (2) It has its community of license and principal administrative offices in this state, and is not owned, controlled, managed, or primarily financed by any corporation or entity outside of this state.
- (3) It provides a program service that meets the requirements for a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
- (4) It provides substantial and significant locally originated programming in its community of license.
- (5) It broadcasts not less than 2,500 hours per year.
- (6) It participates in statewide public broadcasting projects.
- (7) It meets the criteria for receipt of a Community Service Grant or base grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that were in effect on June 30, 1994.
- (8) It has provided, before its application for a grant under this article, an audited financial statement for the years on which the grant is based.
- (b) It enters into a permanent agreement with the Office of Emergency Services to dedicate, as necessary, a broadcast channel for the provision of emergency information, to broadcast that information, and to ensure that it is presented in a format that makes it accessible to the deaf, hard-of-hearing, and non-English-speaking populations throughout its broadcast area, including rural and isolated populations.
- (c) At the time of disbursement of the funds, it certifies in writing by the station manager or an officer of the licensee that it has in its public file a plan to address the needs of significant linguistic minorities in its service area.