Look for a vote on the satellite bill March 10 in the Senate
as part of a larger jobs bill, after which that larger bill will have to go to
conference in the House, according to a Senate Judiciary Committee
spokesperson. The vote is expected this
afternoon on the package of bill extensions of which the satellite
reauthorization is a part.
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) said last week he expected the
House would be able to pass the Satellite Television Extension and
Reauthorization Act (STELA) just as it passed out of the Senate, but individual
parts of the package can't be voted on separately, so it will have to go to
conference unless the House is willing to pass the whole package as is, which
the spokeswoman said is not considered likely at this point.
The blanket license allowing satellite operators to deliver
distant network-affiliated TV station signals to subscribers that can't
get a viewable version of the comparable local affiliate was extended last
month to March 28, its second extension from a Dec. 31 expiration date after
Congress twice failed to pass the bill.
