I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 226 
To prevent the Federal Communications Commission from repromulgating 
the fairness doctrine. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 7, 2009 
Mr. PENCE (for himself, Mr. WALDEN, Mr. UPTON, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. CAN-
TOR, Mr. MCCARTHY of California, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mrs. MCMORRIS 
RODGERS, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. DREIER, Mr. CARTER, Mr. PRICE of Geor-
gia, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. AKIN, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. 
AUSTRIA, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. 
BILBRAY, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. 
BLUNT, Mr. BONNER, Mrs. BONO MACK, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BOUSTANY, 
Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE 
of Florida, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. 
CALVERT, Mr. CAMP, Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. COBLE, Mr. 
COLE, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. DAVIS of 
Kentucky, Mr. DEAL of Georgia, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, 
Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. 
FORBES, Ms. FOXX, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. GAR-
RETT of New Jersey, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, Mr. 
GOHMERT, Mr. GOODLATTE, Ms. GRANGER, Mr. GRAVES, Mr. GUTHRIE, 
Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, Mr. HELLER, Mr. 
HERGER, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. INGLIS, Mr. SAM JOHNSON 
of Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois, Mr. JONES, Mr. JORDAN of Ohio, Mr. 
KINGSTON, Mr. KIRK, Mr. KLINE of Minnesota, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. 
LATTA, Mr. LEWIS of California, Mr. LINDER, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. 
LUCAS, Ms. LUMMIS, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Mr. MACK, 
Mr. MANZULLO, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. 
MCHENRY, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. MICA, Mr. MILLER of Flor-
ida, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, Mr. MORAN of Kansas, Mr. TIM MURPHY 
of Pennsylvania, Mr. PAUL, Mr. PETRI, Mr. PITTS, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. 
POSEY, Mr. PUTNAM, Mr. REHBERG, Mr. REICHERT, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. 
ROHRABACHER, Mr. SCALISE, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Mr. SCHOCK, Mr. SENSEN-
BRENNER, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. SIMPSON, 
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. SMITH of Texas, 
Mr. SOUDER, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. TERRY, Mr. THOMPSON 
of California, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. WAMP, Mr. WESTMORE-
LAND, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, and Mr. WOLF) introduced the fol-
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lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce 
A BILL 
To prevent the Federal Communications Commission from 
repromulgating the fairness doctrine. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Broadcaster Freedom 
Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. FAIRNESS DOCTRINE PROHIBITED. 
Title III of the Communications Act of 1934 is 
amended by inserting after section 303 (47 U.S.C. 303) 
the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 303A. LIMITATION ON GENERAL POWERS: FAIRNESS 
DOCTRINE. 
‘‘Notwithstanding section 303 or any other provision 
of this Act or any other Act authorizing the Commission 
to prescribe rules, regulations, policies, doctrines, stand-
ards, or other requirements, the Commission shall not 
have the authority to prescribe any rule, regulation, policy, 
doctrine, standard, or other requirement that has the pur-
pose or effect of reinstating or repromulgating (in whole 
or in part) the requirement that broadcasters present op-
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posing viewpoints on controversial issues of public impor-
tance, commonly referred to as the ‘Fairness Doctrine’, 
as repealed in General Fairness Doctrine Obligations of 
Broadcast Licensees, 50 Fed. Reg. 35418 (1985).’’. 
Æ 
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