House Approves Bipartisan Satellite Television Reauthorization

The House of Representatives approved bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the nation’s satellite television law to ensure that millions of satellite subscribers continue to receive broadcast programming.

H.R. 4572, the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (now christened the STELA Reauthorization, or STELAR, act) of 2014, which was approved by voice vote, reauthorizes the communications and copyright provisions of existing law for five years and makes a number of narrow reforms to better meet the needs of today’s video marketplace.

The legislation is a joint product of the House Commerce and Judiciary Committees. Authored by Upton, Walden, full committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA), H.R. 4572 makes the following targeted reforms to the video marketplace:

• Prohibits joint retransmission consent negotiations;
• Provides broadcasters additional time to unwind business arrangements deemed no longer in the public interest by the FCC through its recent changes in how it calculates ownership interests under the media ownership rules;
• Eliminates the “sweeps” week prohibition on signal change; and
• Eliminates the set-top box integration ban.