I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2921
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Commu-
nications Commission to conduct an inquiry into the impediments to
the development of competition in the market for multichannel video
programming distribution.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 7, 1997
Mr. TAUZIN (for himself, Mr. MARKEY, and Mr. BOUCHER) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, and
in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subse-
quently 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 the Communications Act of 1934 to require the
Federal Communications Commission to conduct an in-
quiry into the impediments to the development of com-
petition in the market for multichannel video program-
ming distribution.
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 ‘‘Multichannel Video
Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. INQUIRY REQUIRED.
Section 623 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47
U.S.C. 623) is amended by adding at the end the following
new subsection:
‘‘(o) INQUIRY ON IMPEDIMENTS TO DEVELOPMENT
OF EFFECTIVE COMPETITION.—
‘‘(1) INQUIRY
REQUIRED.—Within 30 days
after the date of enactment of this subsection, the
Commission shall initiate an inquiry on the extent to
which the differential fee decision constitutes an im-
pediment to the development of effective competition
in the market for multichannel video programming
distribution from multichannel video programming
distributors described in subsection (l)(1)(B).
‘‘(2) REPORT REQUIRED.—Within 90 days after
the date of enactment of this subsection, the Com-
mission shall submit a report on the results of the
inquiry to the Committee on Commerce and the
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation and the Committee on
the Judiciary of the Senate.
‘‘(3) RULEMAKING.—Within 180 days after the
date of enactment of this subsection, the Commis-
sion shall complete any actions necessary (including
any reconsideration) to make such changes as the
Commission may determine to be necessary to its
regulations on the basis of the inquiry required by
this subsection.
‘‘(4) DEFINITION.—For the purposes of this
subsection, the term ‘differential fee decision’ means
the decision of the Librarian of Congress on October
27, 1997, relating to the per subscriber per month
royalty fee for the retransmission of superstation
and distant network signals by direct-to-home sat-
ellite service providers.’’.
SEC. 3. DIRECT-TO-HOME SATELLITE PIRACY PREVENTION.
Section 705(d)(6) of the Communications Act of
1934 (47 U.S.C. 605(d)(6)) is amended by inserting ‘‘or
direct-to-home satellite services (as defined in section
303(v))’’ after ‘‘satellite cable programming’’.
SEC. 4. STAY PENDING COMPLETION OF INQUIRY.
Until 120 days after the submission of the report re-
quired by section 623(o) of the Communications Act of
1934 (as added by section 2 of this Act), no officer or
employee of the United States shall take any action to im-
plement or enforce, and no obligation or liability shall ac-
crue pursuant to, the differential fee decision described in
paragraph (4) of such section.
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