Bill Introduced to Boost TV Station Repack Fund

Sen Jerry Moran (R-KS) joined by a bipartisan quintet of fellow senators have introduced a bill to provide additional funds if the $1.75 post-incentive auction TV station repack fund is not sufficient. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai told Congress recently that the FCC was pretty sure the $1.75 billion would fall short given that broadcasters' initial estimate was north of $2.1 billion. The Viewer and Listener Protection Act of 2017 (S 1632) would authorize added funds to cover any shortfall in compensating TV stations for reasonable expenses, including funds to compensate FM stations, which could be affected by TV station moves on co-located facilities. The bill would also direct the FCC to adjust its 39-month repack transition period on a case-by-case basis "station if necessary to ensure that no broadcast television station is forced to stop broadcasting for a significant period of time."