In 1988 Congress passed the Satellite Home Viewer Act which allowed satellite companies to retransmit broadcast network programming to households that could not receive a viewable tv signal via their over-the-air antenna either because they were too distant from the tv station, or because they lived in areas where tv signals are blocked by buildings or terrain. Congress realized that all Americans deserve access to network news and entertainment programs regardless of where they lived.
Congress struck a balance in the 1988 legislation between the interests of satellite subscribers without access to local tv stations and local broadcasters who depend upon advertising revenue based on the number of viewers in their local markets. To preserve "localism" and the tv station's ability to provide local news, weather and community-oriented programs, the rights of satellite subscribers to receive out-of-market tv stations was restricted. Only those households that could not receive a local tv station over-the-air were allowed to subscribe to tv stations from distant tv markets.
In 1999 Congress passed a new provision designed to further enable satellite subscribers to have access to their local tv stations. Satellite companies were granted the right to retransmit the signals of local tv stations back to local viewers via satellite. Satellite subscribers who live in these so called "local-into-local" markets are not permitted to get tv signals from distant markets again to preserve localism and ensure that local broadcasters don't lose audience and local advertising revenues.
The law has continued to favor local broadcasters over satellite subscribers ever since. Satellite subscribers must continue to go through many hoops to prove that they can't receive their local tv stations over-the-air. And broadcasters, in many cases, still have the final word over whether a satellite subscriber can receive a non-local tv station via satellite. These restrictions on who can get distant tv signals remain even though through technological advancements many households can access network stations from distant markets through other means. With an internet connection and a computer it is now possible to stream the broadcasts of tv stations around the globe right into your home. With a device like the Slingbox a consumer can stream live local tv from another market into their home. Cable providers are able to carry the tv signals of network stations from nearby markets - something satellite providers are largely prohibited from doing.
Very simply, the restrictions on who can get out of market tv stations have long outlived their usefulness. That is why we are launching a campaign to change the law so that any satellite subscriber can get access to tv stations outside their local market. If you can buy a newspaper in your hometown from any market in the country, why can't you get access to any local tv station?
Congress must act to extend the Satellite Home Viewer Act by December 31, 2009 to preserve the rights of those satellite consumers who don't have access to local tv stations to get the signals of distant tv stations. Now is the time to get Congress to change the law so that all satellite subscribers can have access to tv stations from outside their home market.
Join the "My TV. My Way. " campaign TODAY. Sign our petition. Tell your member of Congress that consumers deserve access to MORE information, not LESS. |
