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U.S. lawmaker wants satellite companies to carry local tv (Reuters)
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. lawmaker on Tuesday introduced a bill to require satellite television companies to carry local broadcasting in all markets, arguing that the companies ignore less populated regions.
Rep. Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat whose district includes remote and rural areas, said satellite TV companies target urban and suburban markets, to the detriment of rural areas.
Satellite TV companies operate under a "carry one, carry all" requirement that if they carry even one local station in a market, they must carry all local stations in that market.
But if they choose not to, the companies can simply not carry local programing.
"This has been a long-standing sore point between broadcasters and the satellite TV companies," said Paul Gallant, an analyst at Stanford Washington Research Group.
DirecTV Group Inc (DTV.O), a big national satellite TV operator, said the proposed legislation would force it to spend "an enormous amount of money with little or no return on that investment in these challenging economic times."
In a statement, the company said it plans to continue to launch additional local channels.
Officials of DISH Network Corp (DISH.O), a DirecTV rival, were not available for comment.
Every five years, Congress must reauthorize the law giving satellite companies the right to carry television. With that bill pending, Stupak said this is the perfect opportunity to act.
Stupak, who serves on a U.S. House of Representatives' Internet subcommittee, said he has been asking the satellite companies for years to expand local service to all markets, but to no avail.
He cited a 2003 congressional hearing where DirecTV pledged to carry local broadcasting service nationwide.
"Unfortunately, without a hard date established in satellite law, this pledge has gone unfulfilled," he said.
Of the 210 geographic markets delineated by regulators, satellite companies do not provide local programing in 31, according to Stupak.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. lawmaker on Tuesday introduced a bill to require satellite television companies to carry local broadcasting in all markets, arguing that the companies ignore less populated regions.
Rep. Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat whose district includes remote and rural areas, said satellite TV companies target urban and suburban markets, to the detriment of rural areas.
Satellite TV companies operate under a "carry one, carry all" requirement that if they carry even one local station in a market, they must carry all local stations in that market.
But if they choose not to, the companies can simply not carry local programing.
"This has been a long-standing sore point between broadcasters and the satellite TV companies," said Paul Gallant, an analyst at Stanford Washington Research Group.
DirecTV Group Inc (DTV.O), a big national satellite TV operator, said the proposed legislation would force it to spend "an enormous amount of money with little or no return on that investment in these challenging economic times."
In a statement, the company said it plans to continue to launch additional local channels.
Officials of DISH Network Corp (DISH.O), a DirecTV rival, were not available for comment.
Every five years, Congress must reauthorize the law giving satellite companies the right to carry television. With that bill pending, Stupak said this is the perfect opportunity to act.
Stupak, who serves on a U.S. House of Representatives' Internet subcommittee, said he has been asking the satellite companies for years to expand local service to all markets, but to no avail.
He cited a 2003 congressional hearing where DirecTV pledged to carry local broadcasting service nationwide.
"Unfortunately, without a hard date established in satellite law, this pledge has gone unfulfilled," he said.
Of the 210 geographic markets delineated by regulators, satellite companies do not provide local programing in 31, according to Stupak.