I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2821 
To amend section 122 of title 17, United States Code, and the Communica-
tions Act of 1934 to permit satellite carriers and cable operators to 
retransmit the signals of local television broadcast stations to their adja-
cent markets, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 21, 2007 
Mr. ROSS (for himself, Mrs. CUBIN, and Mr. BOREN) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend section 122 of title 17, United States Code, and 
the Communications Act of 1934 to permit satellite car-
riers and cable operators to retransmit the signals of 
local television broadcast stations to their adjacent mar-
kets, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Television Freedom 
Act of 2007’’. 
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SEC. 2. SECONDARY TRANSMISSIONS BY SATELLITE CAR-
RIERS WITHIN LOCAL MARKETS. 
Section 122 of title 17, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by inserting ‘‘or adjacent market’’ after ‘‘sta-
tion’s local market’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) in the case of a satellite carrier that makes 
secondary transmissions into a television broadcast 
station’s adjacent market, the satellite carrier also 
makes secondary transmissions into that market of 
the signals of the television broadcast stations lo-
cated in that market.’’; 
(2) in subsections (d) an (e), by inserting ‘‘or 
adjacent market’’ after ‘‘into the local market’’; 
(3) in subsection (f), by inserting ‘‘or adjacent 
market’’ after ‘‘station’s local market’’ in para-
graphs (1) and (2); 
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(4) in subsection (g), by inserting ‘‘or adjacent 
market’’ after ‘‘station’s local market’’; and 
(5) in subsection (j), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(6) ADJACENT MARKET.—The term ‘adjacent 
market’, in the case of both commercial and non-
commercial television broadcast stations, means any 
designated market area adjacent to, and at least 
partially in the same State as, the designated mar-
ket area in which the station is located.’’. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 
1934. 
(a) RETRANSMISSION CONSENT.—Section 325(b)(2) 
of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 325(b)(2)) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subparagraph 
(D); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of sub-
paragraph (E) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(F) to retransmission of the signals of a 
television broadcast station to a subscriber lo-
cated in the station’s adjacent market— 
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‘‘(i) by a satellite carrier directly to 
the satellite antenna of the subscriber 
under section 122 of title 17, United 
States Code, or 
‘‘(ii) by a cable operator or other mul-
tichannel video programmer, other than a 
satellite carrier, to the subscriber.’’; and 
(4) in the last sentence, by striking ‘‘the term 
‘local market’ has the meaning that term’’ and in-
serting ‘‘the terms ‘local market’ and ‘adjacent mar-
ket’ have the meanings given such terms’’. 
(b) CARRIAGE
OF
DISTANT
SIGNALS.—Section 
339(a)(1)(B) of such Act (47 U.S.C. 339(a)(1)(B)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘or adjacent market’’ after ‘‘local 
market’’. 
(c) WAIVER OF DUPLICATION RULES.— 
(1) WAIVER REQUIRED.—Within 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Com-
munications Commission shall commence a pro-
ceeding to revise the regulations concerning network 
nonduplication protection, syndicated exclusivity pro-
tection, and sports blackout protection (47 CFR 
part 76) against the retransmission by a cable oper-
ator or by a satellite carrier of signals of network 
stations to subscribers to permit such retransmission 
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if the subscriber receiving the signals is located in 
the station’s adjacent market (as such term is de-
fined in section 122(j)(6) of title 17, United States 
Code). 
(2) DEADLINE FOR ACTION.—The Commission 
shall complete all actions necessary to prescribe the 
revised regulations required by paragraph (1) within 
180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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