Title: Agricultural News and Rural Content Act of 2019
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Agricultural News and Rural Content Act of 2019
This bill requires certain video programming distributors, such as cable providers, to use at least 1% of their channel capacity to transmit channels of programming that serve the needs and interests of rural areas. Among other requirements, distributors shall (1) use the same transmission technology used to transmit the majority of the high-definition channels they provide, and (2) include such channels in the most basic tier or package available.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2682 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 multichannel video 
  programming distributors to carry rural video programming, 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 ``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:

``SEC. 723. CARRIAGE OF RURAL VIDEO PROGRAMMING.

    ``(a) Carriage Requirements.--
            ``(1) In general.--A multichannel video programming 
        distributor with 5,000 or more subscribers 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 distribution.--In 
        transmitting or distributing channels under paragraph (1), a 
        multichannel video programming distributor shall--
                    ``(A) use the same transmission or distribution 
                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.
    ``(b) Disclosure Requirements.--A multichannel video programming 
distributor that is subject to subsection (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 paragraph (1) 
        at the point of sale.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Channels of video programming that predominantly 
        serve the needs and interests of rural america.--The term 
        `channels of video programming that predominantly serve the 
        needs and interests of rural America' means unaffiliated 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 markets 
                (including from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the 
                Chicago Board of Trade);
                    ``(C) programming focused on rural healthcare, 
                rural development, and rural education; 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 channel line-up of a 
        multichannel video programming distributor, or an area on a 
        navigation menu of such a distributor, offering similar 
        programming.
            ``(3) Multichannel video programming distributor.--The term 
        `multichannel video programming distributor' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 602.
            ``(4) Unaffiliated and independent.--The term `unaffiliated 
        and independent' means, with respect to a channel and a 
        multichannel video programming distributor, that such channel 
        is not vertically integrated with, owned or controlled by, or 
        under common ownership or control with, such distributor.
            ``(5) Video programming.--The term `video programming' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 602.''.
    (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.
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