Communications and Technology Subcommittee Reviews Draft Legislation to Reauthorize the Nation’s Satellite Television Law

The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep Greg Walden (R-OR), held a legislative hearing to examine draft legislation aimed at reauthorizing the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act.

The draft legislation would reauthorize the law for five years and address a number of discrete issues raised over the course of the subcommittee’s year-long review of STELA. Reauthorizing STELA would ensure continued operation of satellite television services for 1.5 million American households. In addition to reauthorizing the law for five years, the draft legislation includes limitations on joint retransmission consent negotiations in conjunction with limitations on FCC action on broadcaster shared services arrangements, the elimination of the “sweeps” week prohibition on signal change, and the elimination of the set-top box integration ban.

Members today heard from representatives of the satellite, broadcast, cable, set-top-box, and public interest communities who discussed the provisions included in the draft legislation.