[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2813 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2813

To authorize States to regulate the rates for cable television service 
    and to impose a one-year moratorium on increases in such rates.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 2001

   Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Clay, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. 
Kucinich, Ms. Lee, Ms. Norton, Mr. Stark, and Mrs. Thurman) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize States to regulate the rates for cable television service 
    and to impose a one-year moratorium on increases in such rates.

    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 ``Cable TV Consumers Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. STATE AUTHORITY TO REGULATE CABLE SERVICE RATES.

    (a) In General.--Section 623 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 543) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 623. STATE REGULATION OF RATES.

    ``(a) State Regulatory Authority.--To the extent provided under the 
laws of a State, the rates charged for the provision of cable service 
in the State shall be subject to regulation by the State.
    ``(b) Prohibition of Federal Regulation.--Neither the Commission 
nor any other Federal agency may regulate the rates for the provision 
of cable service.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 621(c) of the Communications Act 
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 541(c)) is amended by striking ``Any'' and inserting 
``Except as provided in section 623(a) (relating to rates for cable 
service), any''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments under this section shall take 
effect upon the expiration of the one-year period beginning on the date 
of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. 1-YEAR MORATORIUM ON CABLE SERVICE RATE INCREASES.

      (a) In General.--Within 10 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Federal Communications Commission shall by order prohibit 
any cable operator from imposing or collecting any increase in the 
rates for basic cable service or for cable programming services above 
the rate that is in effect for such service on such date of enactment. 
Such order shall remain in effect only during the one-year period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
            (1) the terms ``cable operator'' and ``basic cable 
        service'' have the meanings given such terms in section 602 of 
        the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 522); and
            (2) the term ``cable programming service'' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 623(l) of the Communications Act of 
        1934 (47 U.S.C. 543(l)).
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