House Subcommittee Schedules Two Hearings

This week, the House Communications Subcommittee will hold two hearings -- the first June 16 to consider a draft of the Satellite Home Viewer Act reauthorization bill. The big question there is how narrow the bill will be. Among the issues is could address are allowing satellite and cable to import distant signals from adjacent markets when those markets cross state lines (split markets), and important adjacent signals into so-called "short" markets that lack one or more network affiliates. A bill needs to pass by the end of the year, or satellite companies' blanket license to import distant network signals to viewers would expire and they would theoretically have to negotiate individually with any station they wanted to import. On June 18, the Subcommittee will discuss behavioral advertising, a priority for Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA).