There is hereby created an agency to be known as the Alabama Educational Television Commission, hereinafter called the commission.

The commission shall consist of seven members, one from each of the congressional districts in the state as they are constituted on the 15th day of January, 1980. The members shall be residents and qualified electors of the State of Alabama. No member of the commission shall hold any other office of profit or trust under the United States, the State of Alabama or any political subdivision thereof. The five members of the commission serving on May 28, 1980, shall continue to serve as commissioners from their respective congressional districts for the remainder of the unexpired portions of their 10-year terms. The two additional commissioners shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, within 15 days after May 28, 1980; one of the commissioners is to be appointed from one of the congressional districts from which there is no commissioner on May 28, 1980 and the other is to be appointed from the other congressional district from which there is no commissioner on May 28, 1980. One of the two new commissioners shall be appointed originally for a term of eight years and the other for a term of six years. The successors of all commissioners shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for a term of 10 years. Commissioners shall be eligible for reappointment. If a vacancy occurs at a time when the Senate is in session, the Governor shall, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint another commissioner for the unexpired term. If such vacancy occurs when the Senate is not in session, the Governor shall appoint a commissioner who shall take office immediately, but his appointment shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate at the next session of the Legislature. If the appointment of such commissioner is confirmed by the Senate he shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term. Each member of the commission shall be entitled to receive $25.00 for each day actually engaged in the performance of his duties, not to exceed $1,200.00 in any one year, plus an allowance for expenses for official travel in the state, not to exceed $10.00 for each day he is entitled to compensation, and the actual cost of his transportation and no more. In the event a member uses a privately owned automobile for official travel, he shall be reimbursed for mileage actually traveled in attending meetings of the commission and in the performance of his official duties at the rate established by law for state officers and employees.

(a) No member of the commission shall have any financial interest in any facilities such as the commission is authorized to deal with.

(b) Members of the commission may be removed from office upon impeachment on the grounds and in the manner prescribed in Section 173 of the Constitution of Alabama.

Promptly after their appointment the commissioners shall meet to organize. At such meeting they shall choose from their number a president, a secretary and such other officers as they deem necessary. Thereafter officers shall be elected annually. The commission shall adopt rules regulating the conduct of its meetings and the transaction of the business of the commission, and may appoint such agents and employees as it deems necessary, or may delegate to one or more of its members, officers, agents or employees such powers and duties as it deems proper.

The commission is organized for the purpose of making the benefits of educational television available to and promoting its use by inhabitants of Alabama, and to this end it is hereby empowered and directed to survey, study and appraise the need for an overall plan for the use of television facilities available for noncommercial educational use in the state. The commission is specifically charged with the duty of controlling and supervising the use of channels reserved by the Federal Communications Commission to Alabama for noncommercial, educational use. It may designate the location of stations to utilize such channels and make rules and regulations governing the operation of such stations and the programs televised over such channels. The commission may own and operate television stations to utilize these channels, or it may contract with individuals, corporations, educational institutions or other governmental agencies for the operation of such stations. The commission is also authorized to own and operate radio stations to utilize the channels reserved for public radio within the State of Alabama.

The commission is hereby authorized to execute all contracts and other instruments necessary and convenient to carry out the mandates of this chapter. It may accept gifts or grants of money or property, real or personal, and voluntary and uncompensated services from any person, federal or other governmental agency, board of education, educational institution or commercial or industrial enterprise.