Rep. Mike Ross's Local TV Freedom Act Aimed At Resolving Issues Around DMAs That Cross State Lines

Rep. Mike Ross (D-Arkansas) and 10 co-sponsors have introduced the Local TV Freedom Act, which would attempt to fix the so-called split TV markets issue which has been costing you sleep. Split markets are Nielsen DMAs that cross state lines and in which some viewers to cable and satellite services are getting the local station from the adjacent state rather than their own. Broadcasters say the bill changes in policy could cost them hundreds of million of dollars [collectively, of course... individually -- that would be some sort of record]. Rep Ross and satellite operators argue that it is simply giving local viewers access to their local stations denied by a gerrymandered DMA system. They also counter that the exclusivity argument is weakened by the availability of most TV shows worldwide at the click of a mouse.