Satellite Home Viewer Reauthorization Act of 2009
Latest action · Dec 2, 2009 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 201.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 23, 2009
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Satellite Home Viewer Reauthorization Act of 2009 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to extend to December 31, 2014, the termination of provisions allowing satellite retransmission of network station signals (without the station's consent) to a subscriber who is located outside of the local market of the station and resides in an unserved household.
(Sec. 3) Allows a satellite carrier to retransmit the signals of a significantly viewed station located outside of the local market in which a subscriber is located, but: (1) only for subscribers receiving local-into-local service; or (2) regarding high definition (HD) signals, only if the carrier also retransmits available HD signals of a station in the local market of the subscriber and affiliated with the same network.
(Sec. 4) Allows a carrier to retransmit HD signals to a reception antenna separate from the one for non-HD signals.
Revises: (1) the satellite carrier secondary transmission rules applicable to non-grandfathered subscribers who are eligible to receive a distant signal; and (2) special rules for distant digital signals.
Allows a satellite carrier to provide the signals of both a local and a distant station of the same network to an eligible subscriber only if the distant station's signal is generally broadcast simultaneously with, or later than, the prime time network programming of the local station.
Revises requirements regarding: (1) a point-to-point model to predict the ability of individual locations, through the use of a conventional, stationary, outdoor rooftop receiving antenna, to receive signals in accordance with a specified signal intensity standard; and (2) on-location testing. Requires a study and report to Congress on whether specified testing procedures or such standard should be revised to take into account the types of antennas that are available to, and used by, consumers.
(Sec. 7) Prohibits construing this Act or its amendments from affecting the definitions of "program related" and "primary video" in the Communications Act of 1934 or in any regulations promulgated under that Act.
(Sec. 8) Requires a report to Congress on: (1) the number of households in a state that receive local broadcast stations from a station of license that is located in a different state; (2) the extent to which consumers have access to in-state broadcast programming; and (3) whether there are alternatives to the use of designated market areas to define local markets that would provide more consumers with in-state broadcast programming.
(Sec. 9) Requires eligible satellite carriers that provide any local-into-local secondary transmissions in HD to carry the HD signals of qualified noncommercial educational television stations located in that local market. Defines "eligible satellite carrier" as any satellite carrier that is not a party to a carriage contract with a qualified noncommercial educational television station as of enactment of this Act.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jun 23, 2009.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-FL | Cliff Stearns | Original | Jun 23, 2009 |
Actions 9
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 2, 2009Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 201.
- Dec 2, 2009Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 111-349.
- Oct 15, 2009Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Oct 15, 2009Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Jun 25, 2009Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 2, 2009Reported in House
- Jun 23, 2009Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.