House Energy & Commerce leadership Tuesday will introduce a bipartisan compromise version of the STELA Reauthorization (STELAR) Act that it says reflects bipartisan input from the Senate Commerce Committee, say sources familiar with the bill and a copy obtained by Multichannel News.It includes some retrans-related provisions that likely won't sit well with broadcasters.
It combines elements of a House-passed bill and the STAVRA version that passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee in September, including retaining the elimination of the set-top integration ban — after one year — and giving broadcasters an extra six months to unwind joint sales agreements per an FCC decision earlier this year as well as preventing coordinated retrans among noncommonly owned same-market TV stations.
According to a committee source speaking on background, House E&C Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), ranking member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Communications subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and ranking member Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) together will introduce the new version of the bill that reauthorizes the compulsory satellite license to that 1.5 million people can continue to receive distant network TV station signals.
For the full story go to Multichannel.com.
