Satellite Television Programming Access Act

Summary

Satellite Television Programming Access Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to prohibit scrambling of any satellite cable programming not readily available for private viewing at competitive prices. Authorizes the Commission, in lieu of such prohibition, to require activation of home satellite receiver decoding equipment for private viewing of such programming without charge in areas where such programming is not readily available but where surveys indicate a substantial number of home satellite receivers use such decoding equipment. Directs the Commission to monitor, evaluate, and report to the Congress on the availability at competitive prices of satellite cable programming for private viewing in a geographically diverse sample of urban and rural areas. Requires the Commission to expedite the processing of any application for a license for a television translator station filed by an affiliate of a commercial television network prior to nine months after enactment of this Act, if the proposed station will: (1) serve an area not receiving national commercial network television programming from a network affiliate; and (2) alleviate reductions in such programming availability caused by scrambling. Directs the Commission to study and report to the Congress on the extent to which expediting such applications and other Commission and industry actions have increased the availability of commercial network television. Establishes penalties for willful or malicious interference with satellite transmissions and operations. Directs the Commission to conduct an inquiry into equipment, methods, and systems for detecting and preventing interference with satellite communications. Terminates this Act after five years.

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1 official file

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 19 June 1986

  Open at official source

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