[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2454 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2454

    To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize low-power 
  television stations to provide digital data services to subscribers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 13, 2000

 Mr. Burns (for himself and Mr. Breaux) introduced the following bill; 
    which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize low-power 
  television stations to provide digital data services to subscribers.

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

SECTION 1. PROVISION OF DIGITAL DATA SERVICES BY LOW-POWER TELEVISION 
              STATIONS.

    Section 336 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 336) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (i); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following:
    ``(h) LPTV Provision of Digital Data Services.--
            ``(1) In general.--A low-power television station may 
        utilize its authorized spectrum to provide digital data 
        services to the public by subscription.
            ``(2) Notice required.--Before providing such services 
        under paragraph (1), a low-power television station shall 
        provide notice to the Commission in such form and at such time 
        as the Commission may require.
            ``(3) Protection from interference.--The Commission may not 
        authorize any new service, television broadcast station, or 
        modification of any existing authority that would result in the 
        displacement of, or predicted interference with, a low-power 
        television station providing such services.
            ``(4) Protection of television signals.--The Commission 
        shall prevent interference with television signal reception 
        from low-power television stations providing such services.
            ``(5) Digital data service defined.--In this subsection, 
        the term `digital data service' includes--
                    ``(A) digitally-based interactive broadcast 
                service; and
                    ``(B) wireless Internet access, without regard to 
                whether such access is--
                            ``(i) provided on a one-way or a two-way 
                        basis;
                            ``(ii) portable or fixed; or
                            ``(iii) connected to the Internet via a 
                        band allocated to Interactive Video and Data 
                        Service, and
        without regard to the technology employed in delivering such 
        service, including the delivery of such service via multiple 
        transmitters at multiple locations.''.
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