Compromise STELAR Passes in House

By John Eggerton
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

The House Wednesday unanimously passed STELAR, the compromise satellite reauthorization bill (HR 5728).

The bill reauthorizes (for another five years) the satellite compulsory license allowing the importation of distant network TV signals into markets without those affiliates and affects about 1.5 million satellite subs. The bill must pass the Senate and be signed by the President before Dec. 31 or the license expires, as does the FCC's authority to enforce good faith retransmission consent negotiations.

The House unanimously passed its own version of the bill earlier this year, but that has been merged with a Senate version that passed out of committee on that side of the Congress.

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John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.