Title: Local and Independent Television Protection Act of 2019
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Local and Independent Television Protection Act of 2019
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to eliminate the ultrahigh frequency (UHF) discount, which applies to entities that own commercial television stations.  Currently, the FCC's National Television Multiple Ownership Rule prohibits an entity from owning television stations that reach more than 39% of U.S. households. However, the UHF discount enables an entity to discount the number of households reached by its UHF stations by half. The bill eliminates this discount, increasing from 50% to 100% the number of attributed television households in a television station's market area.
This change does not apply to certain television stations that were owned prior to September 26, 2013.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1789 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1789

 To eliminate the discount for UHF television stations for purposes of 
 the limitation on the aggregate national audience reach of television 
  broadcast stations in which a party may have a cognizable interest.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 14, 2019

 Mr. Huffman (for himself and Mr. Price of North Carolina) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To eliminate the discount for UHF television stations for purposes of 
 the limitation on the aggregate national audience reach of television 
  broadcast stations in which a party may have a cognizable interest.

    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 ``Local and Independent Television 
Protection Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF UHF DISCOUNT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission shall 
amend section 73.3555(e) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, such 
that, for purposes of the aggregate national audience reach limitation 
under such section, a UHF television station is attributed with 100 
percent of the television households in the designated market area of 
such station.
    (b) Effective Date.--Except as provided in subsection (c), the 
Commission shall provide that--
            (1) the amendment required by subsection (a) shall apply 
        beginning on a date specified by the Commission, which shall be 
        not later than 90 days after the day on which the Commission 
        adopts such amendment; and
            (2) any party that exceeds the limitation under section 
        73.3555(e) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations--
                    (A) through the grant, transfer, or assignment of 
                an additional license on or after the date specified by 
                the Commission under paragraph (1) shall come into 
                compliance with such limitation as required by section 
                73.3555(e)(3) of such title; or
                    (B) solely by reason of applying such amendment 
                (and not through the grant, transfer, or assignment of 
                an additional license) shall come into compliance with 
                such limitation not later than 2 years after the date 
                specified by the Commission under paragraph (1).
    (c) Grandfathering.--In the case of television broadcast stations 
in which a party had a cognizable interest as of September 26, 2013 (or 
would have had such an interest following the completion of a transfer 
or assignment of a license that was approved by the Commission on or 
before such date or for which an application was pending with the 
Commission on such date), if the aggregate national audience reach of 
such stations would exceed the limitation under section 73.3555(e) of 
title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, solely by reason of applying the 
amendment required by subsection (a) as of such date, such amendment 
shall not apply to such party with respect to such stations.
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