[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1859 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1859

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to reduce restrictions on media 
                   ownership, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 1997

    Mr. Stearns (for himself, Mr. Tauzin, Mr. Oxley, and Mr. Upton) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to reduce restrictions on media 
                   ownership, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Local Television Competition and 
Diversity Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. REVISION OF DUOPOLY RULES.

    Part I of title III of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
301 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 337. REVISION OF DUOPOLY RULES.

    ``(a) Limitation on Duopoly Rules.--The Commission shall not 
prohibit a person or entity directly from owning, operating, or 
controlling or having a cognizable interest in, two television stations 
within the same television market if at least one of such stations is a 
UHF television station, unless the Commission determines that 
permitting such ownership, operation, or control will significantly 
harm competition or will significantly harm the preservation of a 
diversity of media voices in the local television market.
    ``(b) Exception.--The Commission, in unusual and compelling 
circumstances, may permit a person or entity to directly or indirectly 
own, operate, or control or have a cognizable interest in, two VHF 
television stations within the same television market, if the applicant 
demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commission that permitting such 
ownership, operation, or control will not significantly harm 
competition and will not significantly harm the preservation of a 
diversity of media voices in the local television market.''.
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