I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5025 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 and title 17, United States 
Code, to enhance the ability of direct broadcast satellite providers to 
offer additional local broadcast services to consumers under limited cir-
cumstances, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 8, 2019 
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 and title 17, 
United States Code, to enhance the ability of direct 
broadcast satellite providers to offer additional local 
broadcast services to consumers under limited cir-
cumstances, 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 ‘‘Western Expanded In- 
State Television Access Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘WEST Ac-
cess Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SECONDARY TRANSMISSIONS OF LOCAL TELE-
VISION PROGRAMMING BY SATELLITE. 
Section 122(a)(4) of title 17, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(F) CERTAIN NETWORK STATIONS.—On 
January 1, 2019, if 16 counties in a single 
State were in a local market comprised prin-
cipally of counties located in another State and 
within the top 120 markets for the year 2019 
according to Nielsen Media Research, the statu-
tory license provided for in this paragraph shall 
apply to the secondary transmission by a sat-
ellite carrier to subscribers in any of those 16 
counties of the primary transmissions of any 
network station assigned to a local market that 
includes not more than 4 counties in the State 
in which such 16 counties are located and all 
counties encompassed by such local market are 
located in the same time zone.’’. 
SEC. 3. CARRIAGE OF LOCAL TELEVISION SIGNALS BY SAT-
ELLITE CARRIERS. 
Section 338(l) of the Communications Act of 1934 
(47 U.S.C. 338(l)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), and 
(5) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respectively; and 
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(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR REQUESTS 
INVOLVING AN ORPHAN COUNTY.—Pursuant to a re-
quest under paragraph (1), the Commission may 
modify the local market of a television broadcast sta-
tion to add an orphan county, as defined by the 
Commission, solely on the basis of paragraph 
(2)(B)(iii), if the Commission considers whether the 
station provides programming specifically related to 
the State of residence of the orphan county sub-
scribers.’’. 
Æ 
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