Top Legislation - View All
Latest Action: 01/04/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S125-126) Bill TextA bill to provide certain counties with the ability to receive television broadcast signals of their choice. 1/4/2007--Introduced. Satellite and Cable Access Act of 2007 - Amends federal copyright law and the Communications Act of 1934 to allow certain counties and areas to receive broadcast transmissions of network television stations located in the capital of the state in which such counties and areas are located.
Also tagged in: Censorship, Civil liberties, Communications, Foreign policy, Freedom of speech, Freedom of the press, Human rights, International affairs, Latin America, Law, Licenses, Mass media, Newspapers, Periodicals, Radio broadcasting, Telecommunication, Television broadcasting, Venezuela
Latest Action: 03/01/2007 - Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Bill TextCalling on the Government of Venezuela to respect a free and independent media and to avoid all acts of censorship against the media and free expression. 3/1/2007--Introduced. Supports members of the media in Venezuela who are facing an assault on their rights to freedoms of the press, speech, and expression. Expresses concern regarding the announcement of Venezuelan President Chavez not to renew the broadcasting license of Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), and calls upon the government of Venezuela to reverse the decision not to renew RCTV's license. Urges the government of Venezuela to: (1) create an independent body to assign and renew broadcasting licenses in Venezuela; and (2) respect the rights of freedom of expression for all Venezuelans. Calls upon the government of Venezuela to respect the rights of an independent media.
Also tagged in: Administrative procedure, Auditing, Broadband, Business, Cable television, Capital gains tax, Congress, Congressional investigations, Congressional reporting requirements, Corporation taxes, Department of the Treasury, Direct broadcast satellites, Enterprise zones, Executive departments, Finance, Income tax, Investment tax credit, Law, Minorities, Minority business enterprises, Partnerships, Radio stations, Small business, Small business investment companies, Stocks, Tax deferral, Tax exclusion, Taxation, Telecommunication, Telecommunication industry, Telephone, Urban affairs, Wireless communication
Latest Action: 01/22/2007 - Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. Bill TextTo amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for a deferral of tax on gain from the sale of telecommunications businesses in specific circumstances or a tax credit and other incentives to promote diversity of ownership in telecommunications businesses. 1/22/2007--Introduced. Telecommunications Ownership Diversification Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer election to exclude from gross income a portion of the gain from the sale of the assets of a telecommunications business to an eligible purchaser. Defines "eligible purchaser" as: (1) any economically and socially disadvantaged business as designated by the Secretary of the Treasury using specified criteria; or (2) a corporation or partnership which, following the sale of a telecommunications business, owns substantially all of the assets of such business and is at least five percent owned by the Telecommunications Development Fund established under the Communications Act of [...] show full description
Latest Action: 03/01/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. Bill TextTo amend section 119 of title 17, United States Code, to allow the secondary transmission to any subscriber in the State of Oklahoma of primary transmissions of local network stations in that State. 1/22/2007--Introduced. Grants a statutory license to a satellite carrier for the secondary transmission of a performance or display of a work embodied in a primary transmission by a network station located in Oklahoma to subscribers who: (1) reside in Oklahoma but do not receive the secondary transmission of any network station located in that state because of assignment to a local market receiving secondary transmissions of network stations located in another state; and (2) elect to receive the secondary transmissions of network stations located in Oklahoma.
Latest Action: 03/05/2007 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Bill TextA bill to provide certain counties with the ability to receive television broadcast signals of their choice. 3/5/2007--Introduced. Four Corners Television Access Act of 2007 - Amends federal copyright law and the Communications Act of 1934 to allow certain counties and areas to receive broadcast transmissions of network television stations located in the capital of the state in which such counties and areas are located. Allows, notwithstanding any other provision of law, a satellite carrier, cable system, or translator station that elects to provide secondary transmission only to subscribers in the state who otherwise would not receive the primary transmission because the subscribers are in a designated market area outside of that state if: (1) the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) determines that it is in the best interest of the public welfare; and (2) the satellite carrier, cable system, or translator station agrees to also provide the secondary transmission [...] show full description
Also tagged in: Administrative procedure, Auctions, Auditing, Budgets, Campaign funds, Congress, Congressional elections, Congressional mail, Congressional reporting requirements, Election administration, Election candidates, Elections, Electronic data interchange, Executive departments, Executive reorganization, Expedited congressional procedure, Federal Election Commission, Finance, Fines (Penalties), Franking privilege, Government information, Government paperwork, Government trust funds, Governmental investigations, House rules and procedure, Income tax, Judicial review, Law, Legislation, Licenses, Negative campaigning, Political action committees, Political advertising, Political parties, Primaries, Radio frequency allocation, Radio stations, Senate, Senate rules and procedure, Supreme Court, Tax credits, Taxation, Technology, Telecommunication, Telecommunication rates, User charges
Latest Action: 03/20/2007 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3372-3381) Bill TextA bill to reform the financing of Senate elections, and for other purposes. 3/20/2007--Introduced. Fair Elections Now Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements, seed money limits, and benefits of fair elections financing of Senate election campaigns; (2) establishment of a Senate Fair Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations as well as such allocations; (4) a seed money contribution requirement; (5) contribution and expenditure requirements; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a participating candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) payment of fair fight funds; (9) administration of the Senate Fair Elections System; (10) reporting requirements for nonparticipating candidates; (11) modification of electioneering communication reporting requirements; and (12) the limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees [...] show full description
Also tagged in: Authors and authorship, Business, Business records, Civil liberties, Communications, Confidential communications, Criminal investigation, Criminal justice, Criminal procedure, Discovery (Law), Evidence (Law), Freedom of the press, Humanities, Informers, Journalism, Journalistic ethics, Law, Newspapers, Periodicals, Press, Prosecution, Radio stations, Subpoena, Telecommunication, Witnesses
Latest Action: 09/27/2007 - Committee on the Judiciary. Date of scheduled hearing. SD-226. 10:00 a.m. Bill TextA bill to maintain the free flow of information to the public by providing conditions for the federally compelled disclosure of information by certain persons connected with the news media. 5/2/2007--Introduced. Free Flow of Information Act of 2007 - Prohibits a federal entity (an entity or employee of the judicial or executive branch or an administrative agency) from compelling a covered person (a person engaged in journalism, including their supervisor, employer, parent, subsidiary, or affiliate) to testify or produce any document unless a court makes specified determinations by a preponderance of the evidence. Requires the content of compelled testimony or documents to be limited and narrowly tailored. Applies this Act to communications service providers with regard to testimony or any record, information, or other communication that relates to a business transaction between such providers and covered persons. Sets forth notice requirements. Permits a court [...] show full description
Also tagged in: Administrative procedure, Auctions, Auditing, Budgets, Campaign funds, Congress, Congressional elections, Congressional mail, Congressional reporting requirements, Election administration, Election candidates, Elections, Electronic data interchange, Executive departments, Executive reorganization, Expedited congressional procedure, Federal Election Commission, Finance, Fines (Penalties), Franking privilege, Government information, Government paperwork, Government trust funds, Governmental investigations, House rules and procedure, Judicial review, Law, Legislation, Licenses, Negative campaigning, Political action committees, Political advertising, Political parties, Primaries, Radio frequency allocation, Radio stations, Senate, Senate rules and procedure, Supreme Court, Taxation, Technology, Telecommunication, Telecommunication rates, User charges
Latest Action: 06/20/2007 - Committee on Rules and Administration. Date of scheduled hearing. SR-301. 10:00 a.m. Bill TextA bill to reform the financing of Senate elections, and for other purposes. 5/3/2007--Introduced. Fair Elections Now Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements, seed money limits, and benefits of fair elections financing of Senate election campaigns; (2) establishment of a Senate Fair Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations as well as such allocations; (4) a seed money contribution requirement; (5) contribution and expenditure requirements; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a participating candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) payment of fair fight funds; (9) administration of the Senate Fair Elections System; (10) reporting requirements for nonparticipating candidates; (11) modification of electioneering communication reporting requirements; and (12) the limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees [...] show full description
Also tagged in: Authors and authorship, Business, Business records, Civil liberties, Communications, Confidential communications, Criminal investigation, Criminal justice, Criminal procedure, Discovery (Law), Evidence (Law), Freedom of the press, Humanities, Informers, Journalism, Journalistic ethics, Law, Newspapers, Periodicals, Press, Prosecution, Radio stations, Subpoena, Telecommunication, Witnesses
Latest Action: 10/18/2007 - Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 428. Bill TextTo maintain the free flow of information to the public by providing conditions for the federally compelled disclosure of information by certain persons connected with the news media. 10/16/2007--Passed House amended. (There is 1 other summary) Free Flow of Information Act of 2007 - (Sec. 2) Prohibits a federal entity (an entity or employee of the judicial or executive branch or an administrative agency of the federal government), in any matter arising under federal law, from compelling a covered person to testify or produce any document unless a court makes specified determinations by a preponderance of the evidence, including determinations: (1) relating to exhaustion of alternative sources, (2) that the testimony or document sought is critical; (3) that disclosure of the information source's identity is necessary; and (4) that the public interest in compelling disclosure of the information or document involved outweighs the public interest in gathering [...] show full description
Also tagged in: Administrative procedure, Direct broadcast satellites, Executive departments, Federal Communications Commission, Independent regulatory commissions, Law, Sports, Telecommunication, Television broadcasting, Television broadcasting of sports, Television relay systems
Latest Action: 06/21/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Bill TextTo amend section 122 of title 17, United States Code, and the Communications Act of 1934 to permit satellite carriers and cable operators to retransmit the signals of local television broadcast stations to their adjacent markets, and for other purposes. 6/21/2007--Introduced. Television Freedom Act of 2007 - Requires statutory licensing for a satellite carrier's secondary transmission into a television broadcast station's adjacent market if the satellite carrier also makes secondary transmissions into that adjacent market of the adjacent market's television broadcast stations. Defines "adjacent market," for both commercial and noncommercial television broadcast stations, as a market area adjacent to, and at least partially in the same state as, the designated market area in which the station is located. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to allow such secondary transmissions. Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revise related [...] show full description
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Latest Legislation - View All
Latest Action: 04/04/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Bill TextTo make a technical correction to section 3009 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. 4/3/2008--Introduced. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend through FY2012 the requirement for the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce to make payments from the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Fund to implement a program to reimburse each licensee of an eligible low-power television station for equipment to upgrade low-power television stations from analog to digital in eligible rural communities. Requires such reimbursements to be issued to eligible stations on or after February 18, 2009 (currently, no earlier than FY2010).
Also tagged in: Bonds, Broadband, Budgets, Business, Congress, Congressional reporting requirements, Cooperative societies, Distance education, Economic policy, Education, Educational television, Elementary and secondary education, Emergency communication systems, Emergency management, Federally-guaranteed loans, Finance, Government lending, Grants-in-aid, Health policy, Higher education, Income tax, Information networks, Medical care, Medicine, Policy sciences, Politics and government, Rural affairs, Rural economic development, Rural health, Tax credits, Tax deductions, Taxation, Technology, Telecommunication, Telecommunication industry, Telemedicine, Telephone, Television broadcasting, Unrelated business income tax
Latest Action: 04/02/2008 - Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdi Bill TextTo improve access to broadband service in rural and underserved areas of the United States, and for other purposes. 4/2/2008--Introduced. Rural America Communication Expansion for the Future Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit taxpayers in rural or underserved areas to elect to expense broadband expenditures, including installation and connection costs. Permits mutual or cooperative telephone companies to reduce their unrelated business taxable income in any year by the amount of their broadband expenditures. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to designate census tracts identifying rural and underserved areas. Prohibits federal or state agencies from adopting regulations and ratemaking procedures that would eliminate or reduce the broadband expense deduction provided by this Act. Allows a business-related tax credit for providing broadband services to rural or underserved subscribers through the radio transmission of energy. [...] show full description
Also tagged in: Administrative procedure, Business, Communications, Congress, Congressional veto, Economic concentration, Executive departments, Federal Communications Commission, Independent regulatory commissions, Law, Newspapers, Radio stations, Telecommunication, Telecommunication industry
Latest Action: 03/13/2008 - Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Bill TextDisapproving the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission with respect to broadcast media ownership. 3/13/2008--Introduced. Disapproves the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and received by Congress on February 22, 2008, relating to broadcast media ownership.
Also tagged in: Administrative procedure, Business, Communications, Congress, Congressional veto, Economic concentration, Executive departments, Federal Communications Commission, Independent regulatory commissions, Law, Newspapers, Radio stations, Telecommunication, Telecommunication industry
Latest Action: 05/19/2008 - Received in the House. Bill TextA joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission with respect to broadcast media ownership. 5/15/2008--Passed Senate without amendment. (There are 2 other summaries) (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Disapproves the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and received by Congress on February 22, 2008, relating to broadcast media ownership. Declares that the rule shall have no force or effect.
Latest Action: 02/14/2008 - Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Bill TextTo amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require the carriage of all local television signals by satellite carriers in all local markets. 2/14/2008--Introduced. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require each satellite carrier providing secondary transmissions in the local market of a television broadcast station to carry, on request, the signals of all television broadcast stations located within any local market (currently, located within that local market), subject to existing broadcast signal retransmission consent provisions.
Also tagged in: Arizona, Boundaries, Competitive bidding, Foreign policy, International affairs, Latin America, Law, Licenses, Mexico, New Mexico, Public contracts, Telecommunication, Television broadcasting, Texas
Latest Action: 02/13/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Bill TextTo address the digital television transition in border states. 2/13/2008--Introduced. DTV Border Fix Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to allow the renewal of a full-power analog television broadcasting license through February 17, 2014, for stations located within 50 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico, provided certain requirements are met, including that the renewal does not prevent the auction of recovered spectrum or encumber or interfere with any channel reserved for public safety use. Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), if mutually exclusive applications are submitted to use a channel under the amendments made by this Act, to award the authority to use the channel through competitive bidding under existing procedures.
Latest Action: 07/30/2008 - Signed by President. Bill TextA bill to make a technical correction to section 3009 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. 7/9/2008--Passed House without amendment. (There are 3 other summaries) (This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on June 19, 2008. The summary of that version is repeated here.) DTV Transition Assistance Act - Amends the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 (title III of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005) with respect to the low-power television and translator digital-to-analog conversion program. Requires the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce to determine whether the full amounts provided from the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Fund will be needed for payments to eligible low-power TV stations toward purchase of a digital-to-analog conversion device to convert the incoming digital signal of their corresponding full-power [...] show full description
Also tagged in: Administrative procedure, Education, Educational television, Elections, Elementary and secondary education, Executive departments, Federal Communications Commission, Independent regulatory commissions, Law, Licenses, Politics and government, Public interest, Radio broadcasting, Radio programs, Radio stations, Reporters and reporting, Telecommunication, Television broadcasting, Television programs
Latest Action: 12/19/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2642) Bill TextTo ensure broadcast station licenses are utilized to serve the public interest. 12/19/2007--Introduced. Broadcast Licensing in the Public Interest Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require, as a part of broadcast station license renewal, that a station demonstrate it's dedication to civic affairs, local news, local programming, elections, and educational programming for children. Decreases the term of new and renewal licenses from eight to three years.
Also tagged in: Arizona, Boundaries, Competitive bidding, Foreign policy, International affairs, Latin America, Law, Licenses, Mexico, New Mexico, Public contracts, Telecommunication, Television broadcasting, Texas
Latest Action: 09/08/2008 - Received in the House. Bill TextA bill to address the digital television transition in border states. 8/1/2008--Passed Senate amended. (There are 2 other summaries) DTV Border Fix Act of 2008 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to allow the renewal of a full-power analog television broadcasting license through February 17, 2013, for stations located within 50 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico, provided certain requirements are met, including that the renewal does not: (1) prevent the auction of recovered spectrum; (2) encumber or interfere with any channel reserved for public safety use; and (3) prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from considering or granting a request for waiver submitted for public safety service prior to enactment of this Act. Requires the FCC, if mutually exclusive applications are submitted to use a channel under the amendments made by this Act, to award the authority to use the channel through competitive bidding under existing [...] show full description
Also tagged in: Administrative procedure, Broadband, Executive departments, Federal Communications Commission, Government information, Government paperwork, Independent regulatory commissions, Law, Licenses, Planning, Technology, Telecommunication, Television broadcasting, Television frequency allocation, Wireless communication
Latest Action: 12/18/2007 - Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Bill TextTo promote transparency in the adoption of new media ownership rules by the Federal Communications Commission, and to establish an independent panel to make recommendations on how to increase the representation of women and minorities in broadcast media ownership. 12/18/2007--Introduced. Media Ownership Act of 2007 - Amends the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in changing any of its regulations related to broadcast ownership, to publish notice in the Federal Register for least 90 days, followed by at least 60 days for public comment, followed by at least 30 days to reply to comments. Applies those requirements to any any changes related to broadcast and newspaper ownership made after October 1, 2007. Requires the FCC, before voting on any change in broadcast and newspaper ownership rules, to complete a separate rulemaking to promote the broadcast of local programming and content by broadcasters, including radio and [...] show full description
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