[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 760 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 760

  To provide certain counties with the ability to receive television 
                   broadcast signals of their choice.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 5, 2007

  Mr. Salazar introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide certain counties with the ability to receive television 
                   broadcast signals of their choice.

    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 ``Four Corners Television Access Act 
of 2007''.

SEC. 2. SATELLITE CARRIAGE OF TELEVISION BROADCAST SIGNALS.

    Section 119(a)(2)(C) of title 17, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (vi);
            (2) by inserting after clause (v) the following:
                            ``(v) Further additional stations.--If 2 
                        adjacent counties in a single State are in a 
                        local market comprised principally of counties 
                        located in another State, the statutory license 
                        provided for in subparagraph (A) shall apply to 
                        the secondary transmission by a satellite 
                        carrier to subscribers in those 2 counties of 
                        the primary transmissions of any network 
                        station located in the capital of the State in 
                        which such 2 counties are located, if--
                                    ``(I) the 2 counties are located in 
                                the 46th largest designated market area 
                                for the year 2005 according to Nielsen 
                                Media Research; and
                                    ``(II) the total number of 
                                television households in the 2 counties 
                                combined did not exceed 30,000 for the 
                                year 2005 according to Nielsen Media 
                                Research.''; and
            (3) in clause (vi) as redesignated, by striking ``and 
        (iv)'' and inserting ``(iv), and (v)''.

SEC. 3. WAIVER OF RETRANSMISSION RULES FOR CERTAIN SATELLITE CARRIERS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 1 of title 17, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 119 the following:
``Sec. 119A. Waiver of secondary transmission rules
    ``Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a satellite carrier, 
cable system, or translator station that elects to provide the 
secondary transmission of a performance or display of a work embodied 
in a primary transmission made by a network station located in a State 
only to subscribers in that State who otherwise would not receive the 
primary transmission of such network because such subscribers are 
determined to be located in a designated market area outside of that 
State may do so if--
            ``(1) the Federal Communications Commission determines that 
        it is in the best interest of the public welfare; and
            ``(2) such satellite carrier, cable system, or translator 
        station agrees to also provide the secondary transmission of 
        the primary transmission of the network station in the assigned 
        designated market area.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for 
chapter 1 of title 17, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 119 the following:

``119A. Waiver of secondary transmission rules.''.

SEC. 4. CABLE CARRIAGE OF TELEVISON BROADCAST SIGNALS.

    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:

``SEC. 342. CARRIAGE OF SIGNALS TO CERTAIN TELEVISION MARKET AREAS.

    ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, each 
cable operator providing service in an eligible area may elect to carry 
the primary signal of any network station located in the capital of the 
State in which such area is located.
    ``(b) Definitions.--As used in this section:
            ``(1) Eligible area.--The term `eligible area' means 1 of 2 
        counties that--
                    ``(A) are all in a single State;
                    ``(B) on the date of enactment of the Four Corners 
                Television Access Act of 2007, were each located in--
                            ``(i) the 46th largest designated market 
                        area for the year 2005 according to Nielsen 
                        Media Research; and
                            ``(ii) a designated market area comprised 
                        principally of counties located in another 
                        State; and
                    ``(C) as a group had a total number of television 
                households that when combined did not exceed 30,000 for 
                the year 2005 according to Nielsen Media Research.
            ``(2) Network station.--The term `network station' has the 
        same meaning as in section 119(d) of title 17, United States 
        Code.''.
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