[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4024 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4024

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 with respect to retransmission 
   consent and must-carry for cable operators and satellite carriers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 2004

   Mr. Paul introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 with respect to retransmission 
   consent and must-carry for cable operators and satellite carriers.

    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 ``TV Consumer Freedom Act''.

SEC. 2. RETRANSMISSION CONSENT.

    Section 325(b) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 325(b)) 
is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
    ``(b)(1) No cable system or other multichannel video programming 
distributor shall retransmit the signal of a broadcasting station, or 
any part thereof, except with the express authority of the station.'';
            (2) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and of the 
                right to signal carriage under section 614'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and the 
                right to signal carriage under section 614''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(C) Within 45 days after the effective date of the TV Consumer 
Freedom Act, the Commission shall commence a rulemaking proceeding to 
revise the regulations governing the exercise by television broadcast 
stations of the right to grant retransmission consent under this 
subsection. Such regulations shall establish election time periods that 
correspond with those regulations adopted under subparagraph (B). The 
rulemaking shall be completed within 180 days after the effective date 
of the TV Consumer Freedom Act.''; and
            (3) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5) and redesignating 
        paragraph (6) as paragraph (4).

SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF MUST-CARRY REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Report.--Sections 338, 614, and 615 of the Communications Act 
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 338, 534, and 535) are repealed.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 623(b)(7)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 
        (47 U.S.C. 543(b)(7)(A)) is amended by striking clause (i) and 
        redesignating clauses (ii) and (iii) as clauses (i) and (ii).
            (2) Section 635 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
        U.S.C. 555) is amended by striking subsection (c).
            (3) Section 653 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
        U.S.C. 573) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by striking ``614, or 
                615,''; and
                    (B) in subsection (c)(1)(B), by striking ``sections 
                611, 614, and 615'' and inserting ``section 611''.
            (4) Section 336(b)(3) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
        U.S.C. 336(b)(3)) is amended by striking ``have any rights to 
        carriage under section 614 or 615 or''.

SEC. 4. TERMINATION OF MANDATES FOR TELEVISION FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS.

    All regulations of the Federal Communications Commission requiring 
television receivers sold in the United States to include particular 
types of features or functions, or specifying the technology to be used 
to provide such features or functions, shall cease to be effective on 
the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on 
the date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>