I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2994 
To reauthorize the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization 
Act of 2004, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 23, 2009 
Mr. BOUCHER (for himself and Mr. STEARNS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and 
Reauthorization Act of 2004, 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 ‘‘Satellite Home Viewer 
Reauthorization Act’’. 
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY. 
Section 325(b) of the Communications Act of 1934 
(47 U.S.C. 325(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ‘‘December 
31, 2009’’, and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2014’’; and 
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(2) in paragraph (3)(C), by striking ‘‘January 
1, 2010’’, each place it appears in clauses (ii) and 
(iii) and inserting ‘‘January 1, 2015’’. 
SEC. 3. SIGNIFICANTLY VIEWED STATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 
340(b) of such Act (47 U.S.C. 340(b)) are amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(1) SERVICE LIMITED TO SUBSCRIBERS TAK-
ING LOCAL-INTO-LOCAL SERVICE.—This section shall 
apply only to retransmissions to subscribers of a sat-
ellite carrier who receive retransmissions of a signal 
from that satellite carrier pursuant to section 338. 
‘‘(2) SERVICE LIMITATIONS.—A satellite carrier 
may retransmit to a subscriber in high definition 
format the signal of a station determined by the 
Commission to be significantly viewed under sub-
section (a) only if such carrier also retransmits in 
high definition format the signal of a station located 
in the local market of such subscriber and affiliated 
with the same network whenever such format is 
available from such station.’’. 
(b) RULEMAKING REQUIRED.—Within 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission 
shall take all actions necessary to promulgate a rule to 
implement the amendments made by subsection (a). 
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SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
(a) SECTION 338.—Section 338 of the Communica-
tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 338) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘(3) EFFEC-
TIVE
DATE.—No satellite’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘until January 1, 2002.’’; and 
(2) by amending subsection (g) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(g) CARRIAGE OF LOCAL STATIONS ON A SINGLE 
RECEPTION ANTENNA.— 
‘‘(1) SINGLE RECEPTION ANTENNA.—Each sat-
ellite carrier that retransmits the signals of local tel-
evision broadcast stations in a local market shall re-
transmit such stations in such market so that a sub-
scriber may receive such stations by means of a sin-
gle reception antenna and associated equipment. 
‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL
RECEPTION
ANTENNA.—If 
the carrier retransmits the signals of local television 
broadcast stations in a local market in high defini-
tion format, the carrier shall retransmit such signals 
in such market so that a subscriber may receive 
such signals by means of a single reception antenna 
and associated equipment, but such antenna and as-
sociated equipment may be separate from the single 
reception antenna and associated equipment used to 
comply with paragraph (1).’’. 
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(b) SECTION 339.—Section 339 of such Act (47 
U.S.C. 339) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘Such 
two network stations’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘more than two network stations.’’; 
and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in the heading for subparagraph 
(A), by striking ‘‘TO ANALOG SIGNALS’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (A)— 
(I) in the heading for clause (i), 
by striking ‘‘ANALOG’’; 
(II) in clause (i)— 
(aa) by striking ‘‘analog’’ 
each place it appears; and 
(bb) by striking ‘‘2004’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2009’’; 
(III) in the heading for clause 
(ii), by striking ‘‘ANALOG’’; and 
(IV) in clause (ii)— 
(aa) by striking ‘‘analog’’ 
each place it appears; and 
(bb) by striking ‘‘2004’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2009’’; 
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(iii) in the heading for subparagraph 
(B), by striking ‘‘TO ANALOG SIGNALS’’; 
(iv) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘analog’’ each place it appears; 
(v) in subparagraph (C)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘analog’’ each 
place it appears; and 
(II) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘the 
Satellite Home Viewer Extension and 
Reauthorization Act of 2004’’ and in-
serting ‘‘the Satellite Home Viewer 
Reauthorization Act’’; 
(vi) in subparagraph (D)— 
(I) by striking clauses (i), (iii) 
through (v), (vii) through (ix), and 
(xi); 
(II) by redesignating clause (vi) 
as clause (i); 
(III) by amending such clause (i) 
(as so redesignated) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(i) SIGNAL TESTING.—A subscriber 
shall be eligible to receive a distant signal 
of a distant network station affiliated with 
the same network under this section if 
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such subscriber is determined, based on a 
test conducted in accordance with section 
73.686(d) of title 47, Code of Federal Reg-
ulations, or any successor regulation, not 
to be able to receive a signal that exceeds 
the signal intensity standard in section 
73.622(e)(1) of title 47, Code of Federal 
Regulations.’’; 
(IV) in clause (ii)— 
(aa) by striking ‘‘DIGITAL’’ 
in the heading; 
(bb) by striking ‘‘digital’’ 
each place it appears; 
(cc) by striking ‘‘Satellite 
Home Viewer Extension and Re-
authorization Act of 2004’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Satellite Home Viewer 
Reauthorization Act’’; and 
(dd) by striking ‘‘, whether 
or not such subscriber elects to 
subscribe to local digital signals’’; 
and 
(V) by redesignating clause (x) 
as clause (iii); and 
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(vii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 
‘‘distant analog signal or’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘(B), or (D))’’ and inserting 
‘‘distant signal’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) by amending paragraph (3) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(3) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
IMPROVED
PRE-
DICTIVE
MODEL
AND
ON-LOCATION
TESTING
RE-
QUIRED.— 
‘‘(A) PREDICTIVE
MODEL.—Within 180 
days after the date of the enactment of the Sat-
ellite Home Viewer Reauthorization Act, the 
Commission shall take all actions necessary to 
develop and prescribe by rule a point-to-point 
predictive model for reliably and presumptively 
determining the ability of individual locations to 
receive signals in accordance with the signal in-
tensity standard in section 73.622(e)(1) of title 
47, Code of Federal Regulations, including to 
account for the continuing operation of trans-
lator stations and low power television stations. 
The Commission shall establish procedures for 
the continued refinement in the application of 
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the model by the use of additional data as it be-
comes available. 
‘‘(B) ON-LOCATION TESTING.—The Com-
mission shall issue an order completing its rule-
making proceeding in ET Docket No. 06–94 
within 180 days after the date of enactment of 
the Satellite Home Viewer Reauthorization Act. 
As part of such rulemaking proceeding, the 
Commission shall reexamine section 73.686(d) 
of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, taking 
into account, at a minimum— 
‘‘(i) the effects of the transition to 
digital television broadcasting; and 
‘‘(ii) the continuing operation of 
translator stations and low power television 
stations.’’; 
(B) by amending paragraph (4)(A) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If a subscriber’s re-
quest for a waiver under paragraph (2) is re-
jected and the subscriber submits to the sub-
scriber’s satellite carrier a request for a test 
verifying the subscriber’s inability to receive a 
signal of the signal intensity referenced in 
clause (i) of subsection (a)(2)(D), the satellite 
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carrier and the network station or stations as-
serting that the retransmission is prohibited 
with respect to that subscriber shall select a 
qualified and independent person to conduct the 
test referenced in such clause. Such test shall 
be conducted within 30 days after the date the 
subscriber submits a request for the test. If the 
written findings and conclusions of a test con-
ducted in accordance with such clause dem-
onstrate that the subscriber does not receive a 
signal that meets or exceeds the requisite signal 
intensity standard in such clause, the subscriber 
shall not be denied the retransmission of a sig-
nal of a network station under section 119 of 
title 17, United States Code.’’; 
(C) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ‘‘the 
signal intensity’’ and all that follows through 
‘‘United States Code’’ and inserting ‘‘such req-
uisite signal intensity standard’’; and 
(D) in paragraph (4)(E), by striking 
‘‘Grade B intensity’’. 
(c) SECTION 340.—Section 340(i) of such Act (47 
U.S.C. 340(i)) is amended by striking paragraph (4). 
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SEC. 
5. 
APPLICATION 
PENDING 
COMPLETION 
OF 
RULEMAKINGS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Between the date of enactment of 
this Act and the adoption of rules by the Commission pur-
suant to the amendments to the Communications Act of 
1934 made by sections 3 and 4 of this Act, the Commis-
sion shall follow its rules and regulations promulgated 
pursuant to sections 338, 339, and 340 of the Commu-
nications Act of 1934 as in effect on the day before the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
(b) TRANSLATOR STATIONS AND LOW POWER TELE-
VISION STATIONS.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), for 
purposes of determining whether a subscriber within the 
local market served by a translator station or a low power 
television station affiliated with a television network is eli-
gible to receive distant signals under section 339 of such 
Act, the Commission shall follow its rules and regulations 
for determining such subscriber’s eligibility as in effect on 
the day before the date of enactment of this Act until the 
date on which the translator station or low power tele-
vision station is licensed to broadcast a digital signal. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section: 
(1) LOCAL MARKET; LOW POWER TELEVISION 
STATION; SATELLITE CARRIER; SUBSCRIBER; TELE-
VISION
BROADCAST
STATION.—The terms ‘‘local 
market’’, ‘‘low power television station’’, ‘‘satellite 
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carrier’’, ‘‘subscriber’’, and ‘‘television broadcast sta-
tion’’ have the meanings given such terms in section 
338(k) of the Communications Act of 1934. 
(2) NETWORK
STATION; 
TELEVISION
NET-
WORK.—The terms ‘‘network station’’ and ‘‘tele-
vision network’’ have the meanings given such terms 
in section 339(d) of such Act. 
Æ 
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