Title: Viewer and Listener Protection Act of 2017
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Viewer and Listener Protection Act of 2017
This bill establishes the Viewer and Listener Protection Fund through FY2022 to reimburse costs incurred by: (1) a multichannel video programming distributor (e.g. cable provider) in order to continue to carry the signal of a broadcast television licensee under specified conditions, and (2) a broadcast television station or broadcast radio station during the ongoing reorganization of the broadcast television spectrum.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is directed to modify the transition periods for broadcast television stations that are changing channels or broadcast frequencies as part of the reorganization to ensure their broadcasting is not stopped for a significant amount of time. The FCC shall also make an effort to preserve the coverage area and population served by a broadcast radio station that is impacted by the ongoing broadcast frequency reorganization.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1632 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1632

   To establish an additional fund in the Treasury to meet existing 
   statutory obligations to reimburse costs reasonably incurred as a 
result of the reorganization of broadcast television spectrum, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 26, 2017

  Mr. Moran (for himself, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
  Young, and Mr. Udall) introduced the following bill; which was read 
     twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish an additional fund in the Treasury to meet existing 
   statutory obligations to reimburse costs reasonably incurred as a 
result of the reorganization of broadcast television spectrum, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Viewer and Listener Protection Act 
of 2017''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``broadcast radio station'' means any entity 
        that is licensed by the Commission as an AM, FM, noncommercial 
        educational FM, or FM Translator radio broadcast station under 
        the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.);
            (2) the term ``broadcast television station'' means any--
                    (A) full-power television broadcast station; or
                    (B) low-power television broadcast station that has 
                been accorded primary status as a Class A television 
                licensee under section 73.6001(a) of title 47, Code of 
                Federal Regulations;
            (3) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission; and
            (4) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the 
        Treasury.

SEC. 3. VIEWER AND LISTENER PROTECTION FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of the 
United States a fund to be known as the ``Viewer and Listener 
Protection Fund''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Viewer and Listener Protection Fund such sums as 
may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the Viewer and Listener 
Protection Fund.
    (c) Purposes.--
            (1) Availability of funds.--If the Commission makes the 
        certification described in paragraph (2), amounts in the Viewer 
        and Listener Protection Fund shall be available to the 
        Commission to make any payments--
                    (A) required under section 6403(b)(4)(A)(ii) of the 
                Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 
                (47 U.S.C. 1452(b)(4)(A)(ii)); or
                    (B) to a broadcast television station or a 
                broadcast radio station for costs that the station 
                incurred during the reorganization of broadcast 
                television spectrum.
            (2) Certification.--Amounts in the Viewer and Listener 
        Protection Fund shall be available to the Commission 
        immediately upon certification by the Commission to the 
        Secretary that the amounts are necessary to provide a 
        reimbursement to a broadcast television station or to a 
        broadcast radio station, as applicable, for a purpose described 
        in paragraph (1).
    (d) Limitation.--Amounts made available to the Commission under 
subsection (c) shall be available until the end of fiscal year 2022.
    (e) Unused Funds Returned to the General Fund of the Treasury.--If 
any amounts remain in the Viewer and Listener Protection Fund after the 
end of fiscal year 2022, the Secretary shall transfer such amounts to 
the general fund of the Treasury.

SEC. 4. TRANSITION PERIOD FOR BROADCAST TELEVISION STATIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Commission shall--
            (1) subject to subsection (b), modify the transition period 
        for the relocation of specific broadcast television stations in 
        accordance with the reassignments of television channels made 
        under section 6403(b) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 
        Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1452(b)) to ensure that--
                    (A) no broadcast television station is forced to 
                stop broadcasting or significantly reduce service for a 
                significant period of time due to reasons outside of 
                the control of the station; and
                    (B) the relocation of broadcast television stations 
                proceeds as efficiently and effectively as possible; 
                and
            (2) establish appropriate penalties for a broadcast 
        television station that fails to meet any deadline adopted 
        under paragraph (1), unless the failure of the station to meet 
        the deadline is for a reason that is outside of the control of 
        the station.
    (b) Modification Requirements.--When making the modification 
required under subsection (a)(1), the Commission shall make all 
reasonable efforts to ensure that the modification does not delay the 
deployment of broadband services.

SEC. 5. IMPACT ON RADIO LISTENERS.

    The Commission shall make all reasonable efforts to preserve the 
coverage area and population served by any broadcast radio station that 
is impacted by the reorganization authorized under section 6403(b) of 
the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 
1452(b)).
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