[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 34 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]






                                                        Calendar No. 12
111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 34

 To prevent the Federal Communications Commission from repromulgating 
                         the fairness doctrine.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 6, 2009

  Mr. DeMint (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Thune, Mr. Alexander, Mr. 
   Barrasso, Mr. Bond, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Coburn, Mr. 
 Cornyn, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Graham, Mrs. Hutchison, 
   Mr. Isakson, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Martinez, Mr. McConnell, Mr. 
   Roberts, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. Wicker) 
      introduced the following bill; which was read the first time

                            January 7, 2009

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prevent the Federal Communications Commission from repromulgating 
                         the fairness doctrine.

    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 ``Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FAIRNESS DOCTRINE PROHIBITED.

    Title III of the Communications Act of 1934 is amended by inserting 
after section 303 (47 U.S.C. 303) the following new section:

``SEC. 303A. LIMITATION ON GENERAL POWERS: FAIRNESS DOCTRINE.

    ``Notwithstanding section 303 or any other provision of this Act or 
any other Act authorizing the Commission to prescribe rules, 
regulations, policies, doctrines, standards, or other requirements, the 
Commission shall not have the authority to prescribe any rule, 
regulation, policy, doctrine, standard, or other requirement that has 
the purpose or effect of reinstating or repromulgating (in whole or in 
part) the requirement that broadcasters present opposing viewpoints on 
controversial issues of public importance, commonly referred to as the 
`Fairness Doctrine', as repealed in General Fairness Doctrine 
Obligations of Broadcast Licensees, 50 Fed. Reg. 35418 (1985).''.
                                                        Calendar No. 12

111th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                                 S. 34

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To prevent the Federal Communications Commission from repromulgating 
                         the fairness doctrine.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            January 7, 2009

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar