[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 2845]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        SATELLITE TELEVISION EXTENSION AND LOCALISM ACT OF 2010

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to urge passage of the 
Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010, or STELA, as 
part of the American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010.
  Over the past 15 years, satellite television has grown into a strong 
competitor to cable by offering consumers in rural as well as urban 
markets a choice in pay television providers. Where residents once were 
limited to a single cable operator, satellite providers now offer most 
consumers an alternative. This has led to price and service 
competition, which is good for consumers. Congress supported such 
competition through the passage of the Satellite Home Viewer Act and 
its progeny, including the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and 
Reauthorization Act, or SHVERA. And now Congress has the same 
opportunity with passage of STELA, which reauthorizes and extends 
certain communications and copyright provisions.
  A decade ago, Congress, recognizing that consumers want access to 
local news, weather, and community-oriented programming, established a 
mechanism by which satellite providers could offer local broadcast 
stations to residents in the local market. This means that when a 
satellite subscriber in Huntington, West Virginia tunes-in to CBS, PBS, 
ABC, FOX or NBC, they hear about events in the state capital and see 
the successes and trials of their neighbors--not the weather in 
Manhattan.
  Recognizing the limits of satellite providers at the time, Congress 
did not require the companies to offer local channels to every market 
in the country. Over time, this has created a division between haves 
and have-nots in which satellite companies are not providing local 
channels to residents in the smallest markets.
  In West Virginia, satellite subscribers in the Parkersburg and 
Wheeling markets cannot receive local channels from either satellite 
provider. In certain other markets in the State, only one provider 
offers local channels. Rural consumers deserve better.
  That is why I am particularly pleased that STELA provides incentives 
to provide local service into all 210 markets across the county, which 
sets the stage for consumers in even the most rural regions to gain 
access to local news, sports, and community programming.
  Another important provision of STELA changes existing law to promote 
the carriage of high-definition local public broadcasting stations and 
to make it easier for statewide public television networks, like that 
in West Virginia and 14 other States, to reach every resident of the 
States they serve.
  As some broadcast television has become coarser and less informative, 
the importance of the mission and programming provided by public 
television has grown. STELA makes sure that more satellite subscribers 
will have access to the compelling programming available on public 
television.
  Passage of STELA provides us with the opportunity to encourage 
greater competition and access to quality programming to consumers 
throughout the nation. For this reason, I urge my colleagues to support 
passage of this important legislation.

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