[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7013 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7013

To require the Federal Communications Commission to provide for a short 
term extension of the analog television broadcasting authority so that 
essential public safety announcements and digital television transition 
 information may be provided for a short time during the transition to 
                    digital television broadcasting.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 23, 2008

  Mrs. Capps (for herself, Mr. Boucher, and Ms. Solis) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Federal Communications Commission to provide for a short 
term extension of the analog television broadcasting authority so that 
essential public safety announcements and digital television transition 
 information may be provided for a short time during the transition to 
                    digital television broadcasting.

    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 ``Short-term Analog Flash and 
Emergency Readiness Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMISSION ACTION REQUIRED.

    (a) Program Required.--Notwithstanding sections 309(j)(14) and 
337(e) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 309(j)(14), 337(e)) 
and section 3002 of the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety 
Act of 2005 (47 U.S.C. 309, note), the Commission shall, not later than 
January 15, 2009, develop and implement in accordance with this section 
a program to provide for the continued broadcasting in the analog 
television service of the public safety information and digital 
television transition information specified in subsection (b) during 
the period from February 18, 2009, through March 3, 2009.
    (b) Public Safety and Digital Television Transition Information.--
For purposes of this section, the public safety information and digital 
television transition information that is required to be broadcast in 
the analog television service by a broadcast station under this section 
shall include--
            (1) emergency information, including critical details 
        regarding the emergency, as carried or required to be carried 
        by full-power stations in the digital television service; and
            (2) information, in both English and Spanish, concerning--
                    (A) the digital television transition, including 
                the fact that a transition has taken place and that 
                additional actions are required to continue receiving 
                television service, including emergency notifications; 
                and
                    (B) the steps, if any, required to continue to 
                receive such emergency information via the digital 
                television service and to convert to receiving digital 
                television service, including a phone number and 
                Internet address by which help with such transition may 
                be obtained in both English and Spanish.
    (c) Limitations.--In designing the program required by this 
section, the Commission shall--
            (1) take into account market-by-market needs, based upon 
        factors such as channel and transmitter availability;
            (2) ensure that broadcasting of the public safety 
        information specified in subsection (b) will not--
                    (A) cause harmful interference with signals in the 
                digital television service; or
                    (B) be authorized or enforced in a manner that will 
                impair the legal rights of any licensee of recovered 
                analog spectrum, as such term is defined in section 
                309(j)(15)(C)(vi) of such Act (47 U.S.C. 
                309(j)(15)(C)(vi));
            (3) not require the analog television service signals 
        broadcast under this section to be retransmitted or otherwise 
        carried pursuant to section 325(b), 338, 339, 340, 614, or 615 
        of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 325(b), 338, 339, 
        340, 614, 615);
            (4) take into consideration broadcasters' digital power 
        levels and transition and coordination plans that already have 
        been adopted with respect to cable systems and satellite 
        carriers' systems; and
            (5) prohibit any broadcast of analog television service 
        signals under subsection (b) on any spectrum that is approved 
        or pending approval by the Commission to be used for public 
        safety radio services, including television channels 14-20.
    (d) Definitions.--As used in this section, the terms ``emergency 
information'' and ``critical information'' have the meanings such terms 
have under part 79 of the regulations of the Federal Communications 
Commission (47 C.F.R. part 79).
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