Title: CABLE Competition Act
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Consumer Access to Broadband for Local Economies and Competition Act or the CABLE Competition Act
This bill modifies the process for transferring a cable franchise to a person to whom such franchise was not initially granted.
Specifically, the bill prohibits a cable franchising authority from (1) precluding the transfer of a cable franchise from a cable operator to a person to whom such franchise was not initially granted, or (2) requiring a cable operator that was initially granted a franchise to receive approval from the franchising authority for such a transfer. However, a franchising authority is authorized to require a cable operator to notify the authority of such a transfer.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7336 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7336

    To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit franchising 
authorities from requiring approval for the sale of cable systems, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 2020

 Mr. Burgess introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit franchising 
authorities from requiring approval for the sale of cable systems, 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 ``Consumer Access to Broadband for 
Local Economies and Competition Act'' or the ``CABLE Competition Act''.

SEC. 2. SALES OF CABLE SYSTEMS.

    (a) In General.--Section 621 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 541) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g)(1) A franchising authority may not--
            ``(A) preclude a cable operator from transferring a 
        franchise to a person to which such franchise was not initially 
        granted; or
            ``(B) require a cable operator to which a franchise is 
        initially granted to receive approval from the franchising 
        authority for the transfer of such franchise to a person who to 
        which such franchise was not initially granted.
    ``(2) In the case of the transfer of a franchise to a person to 
which such franchise was not originally granted, a franchising 
authority may require a cable operator to which a franchise was 
initially granted to, not later than 15 days after a transfer of a 
franchise, notify the franchising authority in writing of such 
transfer.
    ``(3) In this subsection, the term `transfer' means the assignment 
rights under a franchise through any transaction, including a merger, 
sale, assignment, restructuring, or transfer of control of a cable 
operator or a cable system.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--This section, and the amendment made by 
subsection (a), shall take effect 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
    (c) Application.--This section, and the amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to a franchise granted--
            (1) on or after the effective date established by 
        subsection (b); or
            (2) before such date, if such franchise (including any 
        renewal term thereof) is in effect on such date.
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