[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 328 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 328

     To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal 
  Communications Commission to promulgate regulations with respect to 
    rebates for certain video programming blackouts, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 30, 2025

  Mr. Murphy introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal 
  Communications Commission to promulgate regulations with respect to 
    rebates for certain video programming blackouts, 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 ``Stop Sports Blackouts Act''.

SEC. 2. REBATES FOR VIDEO PROGRAMMING BLACKOUTS.

    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. REBATES FOR VIDEO PROGRAMMING BLACKOUTS.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Covered negotiation.--The term `covered negotiation' 
        means a negotiation with respect to--
                    ``(A) retransmission consent of a television 
                broadcast station under section 325(b); or
                    ``(B) carriage of video programming of an entity 
                that is not a television broadcast station.
            ``(2) Provider.--The term `provider' means either of the 
        following:
                    ``(A) A cable operator, as defined in section 602.
                    ``(B) A provider of direct broadcast satellite 
                service, as defined in section 335(b)(5).
            ``(3) Television broadcast station.--The term `television 
        broadcast station' has the meaning given the term in section 
        325(b)(7).
            ``(4) Video programming.--The term `video programming' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 602.
    ``(b) Promulgation of Regulations.--Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this section, the Commission shall promulgate 
regulations--
            ``(1) to require a provider to issue to a subscriber of 
        that provider a rebate with respect to any period during which 
        the provider denies that subscriber, as a result of a covered 
        negotiation, access to video programming that such provider 
        agreed, at the time of subscription entry or renewal (as 
        applicable), to provide to that subscriber during that period; 
        and
            ``(2) to establish the appropriate amount of a rebate 
        issued under paragraph (1).''.
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