Stop Sports Blackouts Act
The Stop Sports Blackouts Act would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to add a new rulemaking to the Communications Act of 1934. Specifically, within 90 days of enactment, the FCC must issue regulations mandating that cable operators and direct-broadcast satellite (DBS) providers issue rebates to subscribers during any period a subscriber’s access to promised video programming is denied due to a covered negotiation. A “covered negotiation” includes talks over retransmission consent for television broadcast stations and negotiations over carriage of video programming from non-broadcast entities. The bill also requires the FCC to determine how large those rebates should be. In short, the law aims to protect consumers from blackout periods by ensuring they receive a monetary rebate when access to promised programming is interrupted by negotiations.
Key Points
- 1Rebate requirement: Providers must issue a rebate to subscribers for any blackout period caused by a covered negotiation.
- 2Covered negotiations: Includes retransmission consent negotiations for broadcast stations and carriage negotiations for non-broadcast video programming.
- 3Eligible providers: Cable operators and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service providers.
- 4Regulatory action: The FCC must promulgate the specific rebate requirements and establish the amount of rebates within 90 days after enactment.
- 5Legislative vehicle: The bill adds a new Section 723 to Title VII of the Communications Act of 1934 to create these rebate rules.