Use the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act...
Use the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization process to revamp cable law, wrote Free State Foundation Scholar Seth Cooper in a blog post Thursday (http://bit.ly/1fJXbNr). “STELA reauthorization legislation constitutes one plausible vehicle to clean out outdated basic tier…
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cable regulations,” Cooper said, slamming basic tier and must-buy regulation. “Congress should keep an open mind about using STELA as a route to regulatory reform.” Cooper disputed the pushes from broadcasters and certain members of Congress to keep STELA reauthorization clean: “Prior STELA reauthorization legislation included a variety of provisions touching on video services. For example, the 2010 bill reauthorizing STELA included directives to the Copyright Office regarding filing fees, audits, and reports. It likewise permitted carriage of low-power broadcast TV stations throughout local markets and modified cable statutory licenses to address carriage of multicast broadcast TV streams.” Cooper praised two video bills that Free State has supported: The Next Generation Television Marketplace Act (HR-3720) of Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., and the Consumer Choice in Video Devices Act (HR-3196) of Subcommittee Vice Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and points to certain of their provisions as ideal for STELA. The latest STELA draft, in fact, has been seen to incorporate the video priorities of both Latta and Scalise. The subcommittee is believed to have removed, as of Wednesday, a provision that would have allowed cable operators to take broadcast stations off the basic tier, due to Republican member and broadcaster opposition (CD March 6 p1). Congress should keep an “open mind,” Cooper recommended.