House Passes Satellite Home Viewer Bill

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 12/4/2009

Washington - The U.S. House of Representatives passed Thursday an updated version of the satellite reauthorization bill (HR 3750).

The Satellite Home Viewer Reauthorization Act, which passed with a 394 to 11 vote, reauthorizes the satellite compulsory license for carriage of distant network affiliate TV station signals.

Similar legislation must be passed by the Senate and combined with the HR 3750 or the distant network carriage license will expire at the end of the year.

The measure also requires broadcasters to deliver local broadcasts to all 210 designated market areas across the country. Both DirecTV and Dish Network now offer local TV services to most markets. Dish Network did not offer local TV service in 28 of the smallest markets, and offered access in those areas to distant network channels before a court order halted the practice for problems in determining viewer eligibility.

The bill also stiffens penalties for any future problems, and requires Dish to deliver high-definition noncommercial station signals by 2011 instead of the Federal Communications Commission's current 2013 deadline.

Dish has said that it couldn't meet that schedule.

In a statement on the measure, Dish Network said it "remains concerned about the HD carriage mandate for PBS stations included in the bill, and the substantial additional penalties and burdensome audit requirements recently added to the bill.

"We look forward to working with House and Senate committees to make the changes necessary to ensure that legislation is enacted this year that serves the needs of the American public and continues to provide the framework for a vibrant satellite industry to compete with cable and telcos."

DirecTV, on the other hand, applauded the House action, saying: "HR. 3570 protects the interests of the viewing public."

The measure also offers new auditing systems for copyright issues particularly pertaining to digital multicast streams offered by satellite companies, and adds stiffer penalties for infringement.