I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7782 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for mandatory cable 
carriage of low power television stations sharing facilities of certain 
full power commercial VHF stations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 24, 2020 
Mr. PAYNE (for himself and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for 
mandatory cable carriage of low power television stations 
sharing facilities of certain full power commercial VHF 
stations, 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 ‘‘Eliminating Local 
News Deserts Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. CARRIAGE OF LOW POWER TELEVISION STATIONS 
SHARING 
FACILITIES 
OF 
CERTAIN 
FULL 
POWER COMMERCIAL VHF STATIONS. 
(a) CARRIAGE RIGHTS.—Section 614(c) of the Com-
munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 534(c)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para-
graph (3); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
STA-
TIONS
SHARING
FACILITIES
OF
CERTAIN
FULL 
POWER COMMERCIAL VHF STATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A cable operator of a 
cable system shall carry on such system, in ad-
dition to any qualified low power station such 
operator is required to carry under paragraph 
(1), any television broadcast station— 
‘‘(i) that is a qualified low power sta-
tion under subparagraph (B) of subsection 
(h)(2); and 
‘‘(ii) the full power commercial very 
high frequency television broadcast station 
described in subsection (h)(2)(B)(ii)(II) 
with which such qualified low power sta-
tion shares facilities is in the same tele-
vision market as such cable system. 
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‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In the case of a 
qualified low power station that is carried under 
subparagraph (A), such qualified low power sta-
tion shall have the same carriage rights as the 
full power commercial very high frequency tele-
vision broadcast station described in subpara-
graph (A)(ii) in the television market described 
in such subparagraph. 
‘‘(C) TIMING.—The requirements of sub-
paragraph (A) shall apply, with respect to a tel-
evision broadcast station, beginning on the date 
that is 90 days after the Commission makes a 
determination under subparagraph (B) of sub-
section (h)(2) that such station is a qualified 
low power station under such subparagraph.’’. 
(b) QUALIFIED LOW POWER STATION DEFINED.— 
Section 614(h)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 534(h)(2)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through 
(F) as clauses (i) through (vi), respectively; 
(2) by striking ‘‘The term’’ and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘Nothing in this paragraph’’ 
and inserting the following: 
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