WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), today advanced bipartisan draft legislation to reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, which contains provisions set to expire Dec. 31, 2014. This draft legislation would reauthorize the law for five years and ensure that 1.5 million subscribers in hard-to-reach areas continue to receive broadcast content via their chosen satellite provider. The subcommittee adopted a bipartisan amendment offered by Walden and subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA) by voice vote. The subcommittee also approved the draft bill by voice vote.
“This draft legislation represents more than a year of work, discussions, hearings, and negotiations - both among the affected industries and among ourselves on both sides of the aisle, and within our respective parties," said Walden. “We still have some work to do, but we are encouraged by the compromises we have reached so far. Our staffs will continue to work toward bipartisan agreement in anticipation of markup by the full committee."
Full committee chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) added: “Today’s subcommittee vote is an important milestone as we work to reauthorize the nation’s satellite television law. Our bipartisan agreement on this must-pass bill puts us on a path toward bringing certainty for the more than 1.5 million Americans who are in jeopardy of losing access to major programming at the end of the year."
Read Walden’s explanation of the bipartisan agreement here.
