Title: Section 331 Obligation Clarification Act
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Section 331 Obligation Clarification Act
This bill applies the special service obligations of licensees of very high frequency commercial television broadcast stations to licensees who change to ultra high frequency commercial television broadcast stations.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3632 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3632

  To provide that the special service obligations of a licensee under 
  section 331(a) of the Communications Act of 1934 shall continue to 
 apply even if the licensee changes from a very high frequency station 
                  to an ultra high frequency station.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 15, 2018

  Mr. Menendez (for himself and Mr. Booker) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide that the special service obligations of a licensee under 
  section 331(a) of the Communications Act of 1934 shall continue to 
 apply even if the licensee changes from a very high frequency station 
                  to an ultra high frequency station.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Section 331 Obligation Clarification 
Act''.

SEC. 2. SPECIAL SERVICE OBLIGATIONS OF CERTAIN LICENSEES OF ULTRA HIGH 
              FREQUENCY STATIONS.

    Section 331(a) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 331(a)) 
is amended--
            (1) by striking ``It shall be'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) In general.--It shall be'';
            (2) by striking ``In any case'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(2) Reallocation to certain communities.--In any case''; 
        and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Effect of change to ultra high frequency station.--If 
        a licensee that holds a license issued under paragraph (2) 
        changes from a very high frequency commercial television 
        broadcast station to an ultra high frequency commercial 
        television broadcast station--
                    ``(A) the change shall not affect any special 
                service obligations imposed on the licensee as a result 
                of the licensee obtaining the license under paragraph 
                (2), without regard to whether the Commission imposed 
                the obligations--
                            ``(i) by rule or order; or
                            ``(ii) as part of the grant or renewal of 
                        the license; and
                    ``(B) the Commission may not directly or indirectly 
                reduce or eliminate the special service obligations 
                described in subparagraph (A) because of the change.''.
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