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H.R. 2821, The Television Freedom Act of 2007 (35 comments ↓ | 4 wiki edits)
H.R. 2821 would amend section 122 of title 17, United States Code, and the Communications Act of 1934 to permit satellite carriers and cable operators to retransmit the signals of local television broadcast stations to their adjacent markets.
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Visitor Comments
Mike
I teach in Arkansas near the Missouri border. My students do not have access to Arkansas television newscasts. They have little or no knowledge about the goings on in their own state, but can tell you what is going on in Missouri politics, or who is running for office in Missouri due to only being served by Missouri Televison. This bill would change that and allow them access to their own state's news. That alone makes this bill worthy of becoming a law.
Lew
Concur with bill, I live in TN and am in the Huntsville AL DMA, I have no TV access to Tennessee news or politics. Competition is good, The Nielsen DMA process creates monopolies who don't respond to the public needs. This needs to change.
Tim
I like this bill that will allow us to watch our next door TV markets here in Albuquerque DMA.
I allway wanted to watch local news from Denver, Colorado Spring and El Paso and few others that is surounding our state of New Mexico.
Here in Albuquerque city TV viewers has never seen out of town TV stations, and this bill will open up whole new world of local news information from other next door city.
Directv and Cable, will be allowed for the first time to offer the services to Albuquerque, by bringing in next door TV market for the first time with no broadcast waivers needed!
Drewbie
Please Washington, pass this bill or one of similar fashion.
Bill
This bill is a step in the right direction. With today's technology there is no reason, other than protection of the local TV stations, that a person should not be able to pay for and receive any station that a carrier would like to offer. Of course the station being offered should receive a percentage of the fees being charged since they are the ones providing the programs.
While offering a wider choice to viewers, this would open a source of income to stations that offered programs distant viewers wanted to see and put pressure on local stations to provide a more attractive product.
Lew
Please someone of the 8% who oppose this bill post here, I would like to hear the arguments against it.
Walt
Live in central Vermont, on NH border. New digital signals from Mt Mansfield not available here. Lower part of Vt is in Boston DMA and can get the HD programs, so why can't we?
Kevin
This bill is a very good piece of legislation. We live in a small town in Eastern Oklahoma, but our DMA is Ft. Smith, AR. Our local cable system carries Tulsa local stations, but DirecTV doesn't. The would benefit the public, as the local weather from the Tulsa stations is superior in coverage over the local Ft. Smith stations.
Please pass this bill.
Brian
I also live in eastern Oklahoma and would rather receive the Tulsa stations. I live in Oklahoma and should not be forced to receive the inferior Fort Smith, Arkansas stations.
Pass this bill ASAP.
Alan
This bill is the slightest nudge in the right direction, but one you can barely feel. There is no excuse whatsoever why someone should not be able to select whatever channel they want to watch. What is it about the media that they feel they have the right to force whatever they want on us, regardless of what we actually want? Freedom my A**: more like "The Lengthen the TV Leash Slightly Act".
Jack
I live in Wisconsin, but I along with at least six counties can not get any Wisconsin local channels on satellite. We are stuck in the Minneapolis DMA. I believe more importantly than getting Wisconsin sports teams on TV, is to have access via television newscasts, commercials and live political debates on the folks who expect us to vote for them in Madison. There are literally thousands of Northwestern Wisconsinites that go to the polls each year and are asked to vote for someone we have never heard of. Hey Washington, we are paying taxes to employ these folks, we should have the right to watch them debate and get news from OUR Capital, etc.. PASS THE BILL!
Bob
I live in arizona...local broadcaster are arrogant and have not provided good service to rural areas. We have access to only one hd channel, due to low budget poor customer service. I still cant figure how broadcasters got congress to pass the Sat view act in its very constituent present form
Michael
Please pass this bill.
Terry
I live in Eastern Oklahoma and have been dying for this bill for years. ALL of the "local" news has moved from Ft. Smith, AR (not our state) to Northwest Ark. We get NO coverage from them. Please pass this bill!
Terry
I teach at a local high school in Eastern OK. The ONLY media our students recieve is Northwest AR. They don't have a clue what is happening in our state. In modern times, this is shameful. Please pass this bill
Rob
I live in North Central Arkansas and would like to know what is going on in my state concerning legislation, news, sports, etc. For the time being, all I get is the scoop in MO, our neighbor to the north. Hopefully this will be a step in the right direction to opening the market to full choice viewing. Hurry and pass this bill, NOW!
Randy
I concur with bill. I live in Lake Mary, FL and I am in the Orlando, FL DMA, I have no TV access to Tampa, Jacksonville or South Florida news or politics. Competition is very good for all regions. The Nielsen DMA process is outdated a only serves the local stations not the people. This amendment will help create some good regional competition among the main Florida cities and improve the television choices overall. Please pass this bill.
Randy
I concur with the bill. I live in Lake Mary, FL and I am in the Orlando, FL DMA, I have no TV access to Tampa, Jacksonville or South Florida news or politics. Competition is very good for all regions. The Nielsen DMA process is outdated a only serves the local stations not the people. This amendment will help create some good regional competition among the main Florida cities and improve the television choices overall. Please pass this bill.
Scott
This is a needed change. I live in Arkansas and are forced to watch Missouri news/weather/sports. I would like to know what is going on in my own state. This one seems like a no brainer to me if common sense is applied......
josh
i vote for the bill more choice
Aaron
I fully support this bill because it gets us closer to how things should be. We need to get away from this protectionist situation where choice has been completely taken away from the consumer.
If the local station chooses to show local highschool sports or Billy Graham, I should be able to choose to view network programming from another station.
ron
I live in a valley and rely on satellite TV for local reception. This bill would allow me to watch local news from Arkansas - the state I live in, not Missouri the state DirecTV is forced to give me TV from.
DanB2
I live in rural Mississippi and I cannot recieve any local channels over a satellite carrier, I am required to erect a antenna and run extra cables in order to recieve a snowy picture from only 3 of the 4 networks. Even then, I must rotate the antenna to change the channel to a new network. Enough already, in this day and age of technology, why can I not watch an episode of 24 on my tv using my satelite provider. This legislation should pass, and should have passed years ago.
jrf
To all members of Congress: You are traitors and communists and should be removed from office (by force if you don’t leave willingly) immediately in you in any way author, support or take part in enacting any legislation that prohibits any person located in any part of the USA from selecting any local station in any other part of the USA that is available by Satellite.
From the Declaration of Independence: “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. My pursuit of HAPPINESS is watching Los Angles Local Television while living in rural hillbilly Oklahoma! If I had an antenna that was big enough, high enough and powerful enough I could receive the West Coast Stations over the AIR and there would be no LAW against that. Satellite technology allows for this to happen. IT IS ABOUT FREEDOM OF CHOICE. If you are not on the people’s side then you are on the corporate / conglomerate side making you an enemy of the common citizen and a traitor to the office hold.
Jerry
Southwest Arkansas has local channels from Louisiana. This is unacceptable. I live in Arkansas. I want Arkansas news.
Terry
Those of you who want Arkansas news, just move to eastern Oklahoma. ALL we get is Northwest Arkaksas and the hogs. We want something else!
Chris
I agree. I am in southwestern LaSalle County, IL. I live much closer to Peoria, IL, and I really don't like watching the Chicago news, all you seem to watch is news stories about murder, and the weather is much different too between Peoria and Chicago. Please pass this bill NOW!
Skip
I live in Massachusetts, but I'm supposedly in the Providence, RI. DMA. If I paid for cable tv I could receive the Boston (my state) tv stations, but because I elect to have satellite tv (more channels and less expensive) I'm not allowed to get the local channels from the state that I live in.
PLEASE PASS this bill.
Arkie
This bill will be stuck in committee forever.
That is where it will end.
Chuck
I live in north central Arkansas and get my programing from Springfield MO. I want to continue to get that programing I don't want programing from west Arkansas or central Arkansas. Will this change who I get my programing from now?
MM
I agree with this. I can't even find out if the SEC Tournament final will be on KOLR 10 out of Springfield. The Springfield stations sometimes show Arkansas stuff, but is that considered a home market? It is what I am forced to watch living near the Arkansas border. The Tournament finals are being shown in Arkansas home markets and ESPN 2. Thank goodness I have ESPN 2, but others aren't as lucky if it won't be shown on the Springfield station. There isn't even a good place to go to see if that station is considered an Arkansas home market. I guess I will wait and see tomorrow.
Jim
I feel that standard digital local neighboring DMA station signals that are presently provided by satellite and cable providers to a specific DMA should include high definition services of local neighboring stations. They are presently provided in standard digital so why not provide them in high definition. "High Definition" should not be used as a hot commodity by local television broadcasters to persuade viewers to watch their local broadcast stations only and prevent viewers from watching a neighboring market local channel in high definition. The market for high definition should be open for competitive marketing among local broadcast stations within a large metropolitan area. Remember, this is America! The NY DMA high definition coverage should be expanded to include the counties of Litchfield and New Haven in Connecticut. Many Connecticut residents who reside in these two counties work and conduct much business with New York and need this kind of NY exposure.
iowa
The FCC has extended until April 28, 2008 to file comments to Broadcast Localism. (MB Docket No. 04-233
You can file comments at: http://www.nab.org/AM/aspcode/fcccommnets/FCC_Comments_MB_04_233.asp
Ask the FCC to change its rules and permit satellite providers to legally provide the closest "in state", "out of DMA" network signals on satellite receivers when there is no "in DMA" network signals available, regardless of whether or not the satellite providers offer local-into-local programming.
James M. Perillo
Certain areas of the country that are presently being provided with neighboring local channels from a neighboring market that are considered significantly viewed in a DMA should be allowed to receive such local channels from both markets in SD and HD formats from a neighboring DMA via a satellite provider. These areas sould be allowed to receive SD and HD formats from both the neighboring market and the market the viewer resides in.
The NY DMA should be extended to cover Litchfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut so that residents of these two counties can receive NY locals in HD.
Wisconsin
I live in Grant County WI which is part of the Madison WI DMA, yet few households can receive Madison stations via outdoor antenna. Most of Grant Co. falls within the Grade B contours of the major affiliate stations in the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo IA market. Recently, an EF5 tornado destroyed Parkersburg IA which lies roughly 90 miles directly west of Grant Co. This storm produced tornado damage for over 80 miles as it moved east. If it wasn't for turning off our satellite and switching over to watch the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo locals via our aging outdoor antenna, we would have had no advanced warning. A few neighbors who traded their outdoor antennas for local (Madison) channels on satellite did not find out about the tornado until the next day. This is just one prime example of why it’s so crucial legislation be passed to allow neighboring locals to be carried on satellite. Lives could have been at stake here with no advanced warning of the tornado from our satellite locals.