I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2682 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require multichannel video 
programming distributors to carry rural video programming, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 10, 2019 
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama (for himself and Mr. RUSH) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require multi-
channel video programming distributors to carry rural 
video programming, 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 ‘‘Agricultural News and 
Rural Content Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. CARRIAGE OF RURAL VIDEO PROGRAMMING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title VII of the Communications 
Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
19:03 May 21, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2682.IH
H2682
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
‘‘SEC. 723. CARRIAGE OF RURAL VIDEO PROGRAMMING. 
‘‘(a) CARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A multichannel video pro-
gramming distributor with 5,000 or more sub-
scribers shall use at least 1 percent of the channel 
capacity of such distributor to transmit or distribute 
to all of the subscribers of such distributor channels 
of video programming that predominantly serve the 
needs and interests of rural America. 
‘‘(2) MANNER OF TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBU-
TION.—In transmitting or distributing channels 
under paragraph (1), a multichannel video program-
ming distributor shall— 
‘‘(A) use the same transmission or dis-
tribution technology that the multichannel video 
programming distributor uses to transmit or 
distribute the majority of the high-definition 
channels or programs of such distributor; 
‘‘(B) include such channels in the most 
basic tier or package of such distributor such 
that every subscriber of such distributor may 
access such channels; and 
‘‘(C) place such channels in an appropriate 
news channel neighborhood. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
19:03 May 21, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2682.IH
H2682
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(b) DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.—A multichannel 
video programming distributor that is subject to sub-
section (a) shall— 
‘‘(1) prominently display, on a publicly available 
website, a list of the channels of video programming 
that predominantly serve the needs and interests of 
rural America included in the most basic tier or 
package of such distributor; and 
‘‘(2) disclose the information described in para-
graph (1) at the point of sale. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) CHANNELS OF VIDEO PROGRAMMING THAT 
PREDOMINANTLY
SERVE
THE
NEEDS
AND
INTER-
ESTS OF RURAL AMERICA.—The term ‘channels of 
video programming that predominantly serve the 
needs and interests of rural America’ means unaffili-
ated and independent channels on which a majority 
of the video programming per week is dedicated to— 
‘‘(A) rural news and agricultural weather 
forecasts; 
‘‘(B) information from the commodity mar-
kets (including from the Chicago Mercantile 
Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade); 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
19:03 May 21, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2682.IH
H2682
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(C) 
programming 
focused 
on 
rural 
healthcare, rural development, and rural edu-
cation; and 
‘‘(D) other content relating to the needs 
and interests of farmers and ranchers and the 
rural lifestyle. 
‘‘(2) CHANNEL
NEIGHBORHOOD.—The term 
‘channel neighborhood’ means a portion of the chan-
nel line-up of a multichannel video programming dis-
tributor, or an area on a navigation menu of such 
a distributor, offering similar programming. 
‘‘(3) MULTICHANNEL
VIDEO
PROGRAMMING 
DISTRIBUTOR.—The term ‘multichannel video pro-
gramming distributor’ has the meaning given such 
term in section 602. 
‘‘(4) UNAFFILIATED AND INDEPENDENT.—The 
term ‘unaffiliated and independent’ means, with re-
spect to a channel and a multichannel video pro-
gramming distributor, that such channel is not 
vertically integrated with, owned or controlled by, or 
under common ownership or control with, such dis-
tributor. 
‘‘(5) VIDEO PROGRAMMING.—The term ‘video 
programming’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 602.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
19:03 May 21, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2682.IH
H2682
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply beginning on the date that is 
30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
19:03 May 21, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H2682.IH
H2682
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS