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Bill clears path for TV

Rules would make access to Denver stations more likely

The Senate has passed a bill that will allow Colorado television stations to petition the Federal Communications Commission to serve La Plata County and other so-called “orphan” counties that receive out-of-state broadcasts.

The bill’s approval late Thursday is the most concrete step to date in solving local residents’ inability to get Denver Broncos games and TV news from Denver broadcast stations.

“Coloradans in La Plata and Montezuma counties have waited a long time for the opportunity to access local Colorado broadcasts,” Sen. Michael Bennet said in a news release Friday. “The current system doesn’t make sense for Southwest Colorado, but this bill will finally give folks a path forward to fix this problem. The president should quickly sign this bill.”

The bill – the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization Act, or STELAR – moved quickly. It was introduced in the House on Tuesday and passed Wednesday. The Senate passed the bill late Thursday night by acclamation.

The White House press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether President Barack Obama would sign the bill.

The bill’s passage came during a lame-duck session for the Senate. The GOP will take control of the chamber in January.

“It’s not a partisan issue,” said Mike Saccone, spokesman for Sen. Mark Udall. “It was just on Congress’ to-do list, and we got it done.”

Congressional action came after the FCC completed a study about orphan counties. In addition to La Plata and Montezuma counties, several other counties across the country receive TV news from out of state.

The bill:

Allows the FCC, following a written request from a commercial broadcast station, to add or exclude communities from a station’s local market.

Allows the FCC to determine that a community is part of more than one local market.

Requires the FCC to submit to Congress an analysis of consumers’ access to programming from TV stations located outside their local market, alternatives to designated market areas to provide consumers with more programming options and recommendations to increase localism in counties served by out-of-state designated market areas.

Requires the FCC to establish a streamlined process for the filing of effective competition petitions by small cable operators, particularly those that serve primarily rural areas.

cslothower@durangoherald.com



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