S. 340 · 118th Congress
Protecting Community Television Act
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 118th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
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MarkeySponsor19 cosponsors · 17 D, 2 I
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Baldwin
RB
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Blumenthal
BC
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Cardin
DF
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Feinstein
MH
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Hirono
AK
D
Klobuchar
AK
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King
CM
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Murphy
JM
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Merkley
BS
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Sanders
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Schumer
JS
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Shaheen
BS
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Schatz
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Smith
RW
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Wyden
PW
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Welch
EW
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Warren
CB
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Booker
KG
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Gillibrand17 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill limits the scope of the franchise fee paid by cable operators to encompass only a tax, fee, or other monetary assessment. (This fee is charged by a state or local authority for a franchise that a cable operator must obtain in order to provide its services in a particular area.)
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Feb 9, 2023
Protecting Community Television Act
This bill limits the scope of the franchise fee paid by cable operators to encompass only a tax, fee, or other monetary assessment. (This fee is charged by a state or local authority for a franchise that a cable operator must obtain in order to provide its services in a particular area.)
Historically, the franchise fee, which is capped at 5% of the franchise holder's gross revenues from providing cable services, did not include certain in-kind contributions and other costs, including some costs that support public, educational, and governmental (PEG) access channels. However, under a rule adopted on August 1, 2019, the Federal Communications Commission included most cable-related in-kind contributions and costs for PEG channels (except for certain capital costs) paid by new entrants and incumbent cable operators as part of the franchise fee, and therefore subject to the cap. This bill excludes those contributions and costs from the cap.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Protecting Community Television Act
Latest action (Feb 9, 2023): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Feb 9, 2023
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.