[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3894 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3894

    To allow the FCC to review petitions relating to the secondary 
       transmission of broadcast programming in orphan counties.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 29, 2010

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To allow the FCC to review petitions relating to the secondary 
       transmission of broadcast programming in orphan counties.

    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 ``Letting Our Communities Access Local 
Television Act of 2010'' or the ``LOCAL TV Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. ORPHAN COUNTIES.

    Title I of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 12. ORPHAN COUNTIES.

    ``(a) Submission of Petitions.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Federal Communications Commission 
        shall seek and consider petitions requesting that the 
        Commission--
                    ``(A) reclassify a county or portion of a county 
                into a different or additional designated market area 
                that is primarily located in and has stations primarily 
                licensed in the State in which that county is located;
                    ``(B) designate as significantly viewed a broadcast 
                station located in an adjacent in-State designated 
                market area for a county located in a designated market 
                area that is primarily located in and has stations 
                primarily licensed in another State; or
                    ``(C) expand the statutory license under section 
                119(a)(2)(C) of title 17, United States Code, to allow 
                secondary transmissions of any broadcast station 
                described in paragraph (1) by a satellite or cable 
                provider in such a county.
            ``(2) Limitation.--Not more than 1 additional in-state 
        station from each television network may be provided under any 
        petition considered under subsection (a).
    ``(b) Notice; Hearing; Approval.--After giving notice, holding a 
public hearing, and providing an opportunity for public comment, the 
Commission shall, if the Commission determines that providing in-State 
distant programming in a county is in the public interest--
            ``(1) grant, in whole or in part, including with any 
        modifications deemed necessary by the Commission, any petition 
        submitted pursuant to subsection (a); and
            ``(2) explain its decision in writing.
    ``(c) Review Period; Extension of Review Period.--Any petition 
submitted pursuant to subsection (a) shall be deemed granted if the 
Commission does not grant the petition within 1 year after the 
Commission receives such petition, unless the 1 year period is extended 
by the Commission. The Commission may extend the initial 1-year period 
by an additional 90 days if the Commission finds that an extension is 
necessary in the public interest.''.
                                 <all>