I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3347 
To establish an additional fund in the Treasury to ensure consumers do 
not lose access to over-the-air broadcast television as a result of the 
reorganization of broadcast television spectrum, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 20, 2017 
Mr. PALLONE (for himself, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
RUSH, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, 
Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. WELCH, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mrs. DINGELL, 
and Mrs. NAPOLITANO) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To establish an additional fund in the Treasury to ensure 
consumers do not lose access to over-the-air broadcast 
television as a result of the reorganization of broadcast 
television spectrum, 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 ‘‘Viewer Protection Act 
of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. CONSUMER OUTREACH CAMPAIGN. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Com-
mission $90,000,000 to conduct a consumer outreach 
campaign to raise awareness of changes to the television 
channels available to such consumers as a result of the 
reorganization of broadcast television spectrum carried out 
pursuant to section 6403(b) of the Middle Class Tax Re-
lief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1452(b)). 
SEC. 3. VIEWER PROTECTION FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the 
Viewer Protection Fund. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000,000 to the 
Viewer Protection Fund. 
(c) RESERVE SOURCE IF TV BROADCASTER RELOCA-
TION FUND INSUFFICIENT.— 
(1) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—If the Commis-
sion makes the certification described in paragraph 
(2), amounts in the Viewer Protection Fund shall be 
available to the Commission to make reimburse-
ments pursuant to subsection (b)(4)(A)(i) of section 
6403 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Cre-
ation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1452) in order to pre-
vent a substantial number of consumers from losing 
access to the signals of broadcast television licensees 
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that are reassigned from one channel to another 
channel under subsection (b)(1)(B) of such section. 
(2) 
CERTIFICATION.—The 
certification 
de-
scribed in this paragraph is a certification from the 
Commission to the Secretary of the Treasury that 
the funds available in the TV Broadcaster Reloca-
tion Fund established under subsection (d) of such 
section are likely to be insufficient to reimburse rea-
sonably incurred costs described in subsection 
(b)(4)(A)(i) of such section. 
(d) RELOCATION COSTS OF RADIO STATIONS FOR 
DISPLACEMENT OF CO-LOCATED EQUIPMENT.— 
(1) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—If the Commis-
sion makes the certification described in paragraph 
(2), amounts in the Viewer Protection Fund shall be 
available to the Commission to reimburse FM radio 
stations, in order to prevent a substantial number of 
consumers from losing access to such stations, for 
reasonable relocation costs that are incurred because 
of the displacement of co-located equipment from a 
tower or similar transmission facility due to the re-
organization of television broadcast spectrum under 
subsection (b) of section 6403 of the Middle Class 
Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 
1452). 
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(2) 
CERTIFICATION.—The 
certification 
de-
scribed in this paragraph is a certification from the 
Commission to the Secretary of the Treasury that— 
(A) a substantial number of consumers will 
lose access to FM radio stations unless such 
stations are reimbursed for reasonable reloca-
tion costs described in paragraph (1); and 
(B) the Commission has made all nec-
essary reimbursements under subsection (c) of 
this section, or no such reimbursements are 
necessary, in order to prevent a substantial 
number of consumers from losing access to the 
signals of broadcast television licensees that are 
reassigned from one channel to another channel 
under subsection (b)(1)(B) of such section 
6403. 
(e) REASONABLE COSTS OF MVPDS.— 
(1) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—If the Commis-
sion makes the certification described in paragraph 
(2), amounts in the Viewer Protection Fund shall be 
available to the Commission to reimburse multi-
channel video programming distributors, in order to 
prevent a substantial number of consumers from los-
ing access to signals of broadcast television licensees 
carried by such distributors, for reasonable costs in-
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curred by such distributors in order to continue to 
carry such signals due to the reorganization of tele-
vision broadcast spectrum under subsection (b) of 
section 6403 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 
Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1452). 
(2) 
CERTIFICATION.—The 
certification 
de-
scribed in this paragraph is a certification from the 
Commission to the Secretary of the Treasury that— 
(A) a substantial number of consumers will 
lose access to signals of broadcast television li-
censees carried by multichannel video program-
ming distributors unless such distributors are 
reimbursed for reasonable costs described in 
paragraph (1); and 
(B) the Commission has made all nec-
essary reimbursements under subsection (c) of 
this section, or no such reimbursements are 
necessary, in order to prevent a substantial 
number of consumers from losing access to the 
signals of broadcast television licensees that are 
reassigned from one channel to another channel 
under subsection (b)(1)(B) of such section 
6403. 
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(f) LIMITATION.—Funds made available to the Com-
mission under this section shall only be available until the 
end of fiscal year 2022. 
(g) UNUSED FUNDS.— 
(1) LOW-POWER TELEVISION AND TELEVISION 
TRANSLATOR RELOCATION COSTS.—If the Commis-
sion makes the certification described in paragraph 
(2) of subsection (c), after the Commission makes 
the reimbursements under paragraph (1) of such 
subsection, amounts in the Viewer Protection Fund 
shall be available to the Commission to reimburse 
low-power television stations and television trans-
lator stations, in order to prevent a substantial num-
ber of consumers from losing access to such stations, 
for reasonable relocation costs that are incurred— 
(A) because of assignment of displacement 
channels to such stations by the Commission in 
the reorganization of television broadcast spec-
trum under section 6403(b) of the Middle Class 
Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 
U.S.C. 1452(b)); and 
(B) after such assignment. 
(2) TRANSFER
TO
GENERAL
FUND.—If any 
amounts remain in the Viewer Protection Fund after 
the end of fiscal year 2022, the Secretary of the 
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Treasury shall transfer such amounts to the general 
fund of the Treasury. 
(3) LOW-POWER TELEVISION AND TELEVISION 
TRANSLATOR USAGE RIGHTS.—Nothing in this sub-
section shall be construed to alter the spectrum 
usage rights of low-power television stations or tele-
vision translator stations. 
SEC. 4. TRANSITION PERIOD. 
Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Commission shall, by order, delegate to 
the Media Bureau of the Commission the authority to— 
(1) modify the transition period for relocation 
of specific broadcast television licensees in accord-
ance with the reassignments of television channels 
made under section 6403(b) of the Middle Class Tax 
Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 
1452(b)), if the Bureau determines that such modi-
fication is necessary to ensure that no licensee is 
forced to stop broadcasting due to reasons outside 
the licensee’s control; and 
(2) impose appropriate penalties should a li-
censee fail or refuse to complete relocation within 
such transition period (as modified under paragraph 
(1)) other than for reasons outside the licensee’s 
control. 
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SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) BROADCAST
TELEVISION
LICENSEE.—The 
term ‘‘broadcast television licensee’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 6001 of the Middle Class 
Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 
1401). 
(2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(3) MULTICHANNEL VIDEO PROGRAMMING DIS-
TRIBUTOR.—The term ‘‘multichannel video program-
ming distributor’’ has the meaning given such term 
in section 602 of the Communications Act of 1934 
(47 U.S.C. 522). 
Æ 
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