[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15093-S15094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BAUCUS (for himself, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Daschle, Mr. Kerrey, 
        Mr. Durbin, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Conrad, Mr. 
        Rockefeller, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Reid, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Wyden, and 
        Mrs. Murray):
  S. 1980. A bill to amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to 
ensure improved access to the signals of local television stations by 
multichannel video providers to all households which desire such 
service in unserved and underserved rural areas by December 31, 2006; 
to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.


   21st century rural utility service rural development enhancement 
                     through local information act

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, along with Senators Harkin, 
Daschle, Kerrey, Durbin, Johnson, Wellstone, Conrad, Rockefeller, 
Bryan, Reid, Leahy, Wyden, and Murray, I am pleased to introduce a bill 
today on behalf of our country's rural satellite consumers. This is a 
bill to amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, appropriately 
entitled, ``the 21st Century Rural Utility Service Rural Development 
Enhancement Through Local Information Act.''
  We all know that modern technology has made it possible to broadcast 
TV programming directly from satellites. Nationwide, over 11 million 
households subscribe to satellite TV, and that number increases by over 
2 million households a year.
  Rural areas have come to depend on the network coverage that 
satellites provide. In Montana, where over 35 percent of homes depend 
on satellite broadcasting for their TV reception, this development has 
been a real boon.
  While satellite broadcasting has improved the quality of life for 
folks in rural America, it hasn't been perfect. Satellite systems 
haven't been able to carry local broadcast stations. So local viewers 
haven't always been able to get local broadcasting.

[[Page S15094]]

  And this is not just a problem for satellite subscribers. It's a 
problem for the local TV broadcasters and for the fabric of local 
communities. Local broadcasters play a key role in our communities.
  They provide local news, local weather, and public service programs. 
Viewers depend on these broadcasts to find out about what's going on in 
their community. When the school board, PTA, and city council are 
meeting. Or when there's a parade or a fund-raiser for their church or 
civic groups.
  Local broadcasters are vital to our local economies. They provide 
jobs, and they allow local businesses to grow through advertising. In 
short, the importance of local broadcasting is evident in all parts of 
community life.
  And they also provide network programming: NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX. 
Nineteen of the twenty TV stations in Montana are affiliated with one 
of these networks, or with the Public Broadcasting System.
  These stations air national news, sports and entertainment at times 
of the day when people with jobs and kids can watch.
  Without these local broadcasts, you might miss the evening network 
news because it comes on before you get home from work, or because it 
airs late at night. People want local network coverage because it works 
in their lives.
  Until now, technology has not provided for rebroadcast of local 
signals by satellites. Many rural residents haven't been able to get 
decent reception over the air.
  Of course, we in the Senate cannot change technology or geography. 
What we can do is change the law. We can make local into local 
broadcasting a reality, and we should.
  Last spring, we passed H.R. 1554. At the time, we neglected an 
important responsibility. The language we passed would have required 
the turn-off of network programming to many rural satellite viewers.
  It would have done nothing to help the many local broadcasts in 
smaller cities and towns. A big oversight.
  Following the vote, I wrote a letter to the conference asking that it 
pay attention to the needs of the many viewers, communities, businesses 
and stations that had been ignored. Twenty-three of my colleagues, from 
both sides of the aisle, signed the letter.
  As you know, Mr. President, yesterday the House passed the omnibus 
appropriations bill, and the Senate is slated to take the same vote 
this evening. Mr. President, I was very disheartened when I learned 
that the ever important loan guarantee provision was pulled out of the 
Conference Report on the Satellite bill at the last minute. That is why 
I'm introducing this bill today, because this loan guarantee will help 
America's 11 million rural satellite consumers. It's time for us as 
lawmakers to say ``we care about those folks up in 2 Dot that simply 
want to watch local news.'' This is our chance to expand rural access 
so that no matter how large or small your town is, you're going to be 
able to enjoy the benefits of Satellite TV.
  This bill includes a loan guarantee that will make it possible for 
all local stations to be broadcast on satellite. Not just those in the 
very largest cities and towns. Without this, the other ``local into 
local'' provisions of the Satellite Home Viewer Act are an empty 
promise to the rural and small town Americans who depend on satellites.
  Mr. President, I look forward to holding hearings on this bill during 
our adjournment and coming back to see a swift resolution to this issue 
in January. It is time, no, it's overtime, for us to act on this 
important issue.
                                 ______