I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5393 
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 
SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 
Mr. PAYNE 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 2021’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:17 Sep 29, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5393.IH
H5393
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
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, on a 
channel that is generally considered to be in the 
primary broadcast tier, in addition to any quali-
fied 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-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:17 Sep 29, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5393.IH
H5393
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
tion shares facilities is in the same tele-
vision market as such cable system. 
‘‘(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’’; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:17 Sep 29, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5393.IH
H5393
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
(3) by striking ‘‘Nothing in this paragraph’’ 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in this paragraph’’; and 
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (A) (as so 
designated) the following: 
‘‘(B) STATIONS
SHARING
FACILITIES
OF 
CERTAIN FULL POWER COMMERCIAL VHF STA-
TIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘quali-
fied low power station’ also includes any 
television broadcast station for which there 
is in effect a determination by the Com-
mission that such station is a qualified low 
power station under this subparagraph. 
‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—The Commis-
sion shall determine that a television 
broadcast station is a qualified low power 
station under this subparagraph if— 
‘‘(I) such station conforms to the 
rules established for low power tele-
vision stations contained in part 74 of 
title 47, Code of Federal Regulations; 
‘‘(II) such low power station 
shares facilities with a licensee of a 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:17 Sep 29, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5393.IH
H5393
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS