John Eggerton
The House today (November 19) unanimously passed STELAR, the compromise satellite reauthorization bill (HR 5728).
The bill reauthorizes (for another five years) the satellite compulsory license allowing the importation of distant network TV signals into markets without those affiliates and affects about 1.5 million satellite subs. The bill must pass the Senate and be signed by the President before December 31 or the license expires, as does the FCC's authority to enforce good faith retransmission consent negotiations.
The House unanimously passed its own version of the bill earlier this year, but that has been merged with a Senate version that passed out of committee on that side of the Congress.
But the compromise version does a lot more than that, including instituting various "consumer protections in retransmission consent" that had been sought by cable operators. During House consideration of the bill, Republicans and Democrats called them targeted, pro-consumer reforms that will help the video marketplace.
For one, it prevents coordinated retransmission consent negotiations among noncommonly owned TV stations in a market, expanding on the FCC's decision earlier this year to disallow coordinated retrans among the Top Four stations in those markets. It also prevents broadcasters from preventing the importation of significantly viewed stations into their markets.
multichannel.com
The House today (November 19) unanimously passed STELAR, the compromise satellite reauthorization bill (HR 5728).
The bill reauthorizes (for another five years) the satellite compulsory license allowing the importation of distant network TV signals into markets without those affiliates and affects about 1.5 million satellite subs. The bill must pass the Senate and be signed by the President before December 31 or the license expires, as does the FCC's authority to enforce good faith retransmission consent negotiations.
The House unanimously passed its own version of the bill earlier this year, but that has been merged with a Senate version that passed out of committee on that side of the Congress.
But the compromise version does a lot more than that, including instituting various "consumer protections in retransmission consent" that had been sought by cable operators. During House consideration of the bill, Republicans and Democrats called them targeted, pro-consumer reforms that will help the video marketplace.
For one, it prevents coordinated retransmission consent negotiations among noncommonly owned TV stations in a market, expanding on the FCC's decision earlier this year to disallow coordinated retrans among the Top Four stations in those markets. It also prevents broadcasters from preventing the importation of significantly viewed stations into their markets.
multichannel.com
