WASHINGTON, DC... Congressman John Shimkus (R, Illinois-19) is pleased to announce federal funding through the U.S. Department of Commerce to the University of Illinois at Springfield for infrastructure improvements to WUIS. Through the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Public Telecommunications Facilities Program, WUIS will be receiving $137,512.
Bill Wheelhouse, WUIS general manager, explained, "With this grant, WUIS 91.9 will purchase new digital equipment and overhaul all of the internal wiring in the station, which sets the stage for our adding additional channels on our digital signal. The community will greatly benefit from hearing even more viewpoints, music and voices on their public radio station. The technical overhaul will also give our producers tremendous creative flexibility and make our day-to-day operations even more efficient, which is appreciated by our listeners and donors alike."
"Access to federal programs is important to educational institutions. Given that I sit on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, I am especially pleased that WUIS was awarded this grant," Shimkus noted.
"I encourage any entity applying for federal grants to contact my Springfield office to access our assistance with the process."
