House Legislative Hearing on "The Satellite Home Viewer Act"

Satellite TV and distant-signal operators to renewed their pledge not to take advantage of a carriage loophole created by the DTV transition. That came Tuesday at a hearing on a draft bill to reauthorize the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act, which allows satellite companies to import distant network affiliate signals into local markets under certain circumstances.

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA) on Monday released a narrow discussion draft of a bill to reauthorize for five years provisions of the Satellite Home Viewer Act set to expire Dec.

A traveling party of about a dozen Fox affiliate leaders will descend on Washington this week to voice its concern for a bill co-sponsored by Rep Mike Ross (D-Arkansas). The group says the bill could rewrite the Designated Market Area map and put a major drain on station revenue.

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.