II
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION S. 328
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communica-
tions Commission to promulgate regulations with respect to rebates for
certain video programming blackouts, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JANUARY30, 2025
Mr. M
URPHYintroduced 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 reg-
ulations with respect to rebates for certain video pro-
gramming blackouts, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Sports Blackouts 4
Act’’. 5
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•S 328 IS
SEC. 2. REBATES FOR VIDEO PROGRAMMING BLACKOUTS. 1
Title VII of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 2
U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 3
following: 4
‘‘SEC. 723. REBATES FOR VIDEO PROGRAMMING BLACK-5
OUTS. 6
‘‘(a) D
EFINITIONS.—In this section: 7
‘‘(1) C
OVERED NEGOTIATION .—The term ‘cov-8
ered negotiation’ means a negotiation with respect 9
to— 10
‘‘(A) retransmission consent of a television 11
broadcast station under section 325(b); or 12
‘‘(B) carriage of video programming of an 13
entity that is not a television broadcast station. 14
‘‘(2) P
ROVIDER.—The term ‘provider’ means ei-15
ther of the following: 16
‘‘(A) A cable operator, as defined in sec-17
tion 602. 18
‘‘(B) A provider of direct broadcast sat-19
ellite service, as defined in section 335(b)(5). 20
‘‘(3) T
ELEVISION BROADCAST STATION .—The 21
term ‘television broadcast station’ has the meaning 22
given the term in section 325(b)(7). 23
‘‘(4) V
IDEO PROGRAMMING .—The term ‘video 24
programming’ has the meaning given the term in 25
section 602. 26
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•S 328 IS
‘‘(b) PROMULGATION OF REGULATIONS.—Not later 1
than 90 days after the date of enactment of this section, 2
the Commission shall promulgate regulations— 3
‘‘(1) to require a provider to issue to a sub-4
scriber of that provider a rebate with respect to any 5
period during which the provider denies that sub-6
scriber, as a result of a covered negotiation, access 7
to video programming that such provider agreed, at 8
the time of subscription entry or renewal (as appli-9
cable), to provide to that subscriber during that pe-10
riod; and 11
‘‘(2) to establish the appropriate amount of a 12
rebate issued under paragraph (1).’’. 13
Æ
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