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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2643 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2643

    To require a report by the Federal Communications Commission on 
                        designated market areas.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 22, 2014

  Mr. Booker (for himself and Mrs. Fischer) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
    To require a report by the Federal Communications Commission on 
                        designated market areas.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REPORT ON DESIGNATED MARKET AREAS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the 
                Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation and the Committee on the Judiciary of 
                the Senate;
            (2) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission;
            (3) the terms ``designated market area'' and ``local 
        market'' have the meaning given those terms in section 122(j) 
        of title 17, United States Code; and
            (4) the term ``television broadcast station'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 325(b)(7) of the 
        Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 325(b)(7)).
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The telecommunications and media policy of the United 
        States has long valued localism, competition, and diversity of 
        voices.
            (2) Broadcasters play an essential role in providing 
        critical emergency alerts, news, and information that responds 
        to the needs of their communities.
            (3) Broadcast television remains an important medium for 
        reaching communities, even as technological innovations and new 
        forms of communication continue to expand.
            (4) It is in the public interest to study--
                    (A) how designated market areas impact access to 
                local and in-State programming; and
                    (B) how any deficiencies in localism might be 
                addressed.
    (c) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a report that contains--
                    (A) an analysis of--
                            (i) the extent to which consumers in each 
                        local market have access to broadcast 
                        programming from television broadcast stations 
                        located outside their local market; and
                            (ii)(I) whether there are alternatives to 
                        the use of designated market areas to define 
                        markets that would provide consumers with more 
                        local programming options; and
                            (II) the potential impact the alternatives 
                        described in clause (i) could have on localism 
                        and on broadcast television locally, 
                        regionally, and nationally; and
                    (B) recommendations on how to foster increased 
                localism in States served by out-of-State designated 
                market areas.
            (2) Considerations for fostering increased localism.--In 
        making recommendations under paragraph (1)(B), the Commission 
        shall consider--
                    (A) the impact that designated market areas that 
                cross State lines have on access to local programming;
                    (B) the impact that designated market areas have on 
                local programming in rural areas; and
                    (C) the state of local programming in States served 
                exclusively by out-of-State designated market areas.
                                 <all>
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