Congress Acts on Satellite TV

Not wanting to be accused of an inability to quickly act, Congress began marking up a bill on March 4th that would extend the deadline in which satellite TV broadcasters have to transmit shows like 60 Minutes and the X Files to millions of satellite viewers.

However, the court-imposed deadline was February 28 and Congress has only now just marked up the bill, and even that was just through subcommittee. In order to have the force of law, the bill would have to be marked up by the full committee, scheduled for a floor vote, pass the House, meet in conference with a Senate version, pass the floor again, be sent to the President and signed into law.

The bill (H.R. 851) was sponsored by W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La) and would implement a 180-day moratorium on cutting of satellite broadcasts. This would give time for Congress to further consider the issue and several bills out there now, that would produce more substantial reform.

The bill also would maintain pre-Feb 28 viewership throughout the 180 period. It also would allow the Federal Communications Commission to redefine what constitutes a viewer that is not permitted by law to receive such signals.

Most interestingly, Congress to actually believe that it can pass and the President can implement a bill that extends the Feb. 28 deadline by 180 days within a 180-day time frame.

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