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H.R. 2682 101st Congress House

Broadcast License Renewal Act of 1987

Official title: To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to eliminate the comparative renewal process and to specify public interest responsibility requirements for the renewal… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to eliminate the comparative renewal process and to specify public interest responsibility requirements for the renewal of radio and television broadcast stations.

Introduced: June 19, 1989 See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Administrative procedureBroadcastingIndependent regulatory commissionsLicenses
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Radio programsTelevision programs
This bill died when the 101st Congress ended
It never became law before the 101st Congress (1989–1990) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 7, 1989
Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance.
Jun 19, 1989
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Jun 19, 1989
Introduced in House
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 Latest action July 7, 1989

Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Broadcast License Renewal Act of 1987 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to declare it to be the policy of the United States that, with respect to the grant or renewal of a broadcast license, the licensee has the responsibility to: (1) broadcast material responsive to matters of concern to residents of its service area; and (2) operate in compliance with provisions of such Act and Federal Communications Commission regulations. Directs the Commission to: (1) grant an application for license renewal if the applicant has met such responsibilities in the preceding license term; or (2) deny renewal or grant limited renewal if the applicant failed to meet such responsibilities.

Prohibits the Commission, in evaluating a licensee's performance in broadcasting material responsive to matters of public concern, from establishing or applying any requirement with respect to the broadcast of any specific subject or material. Directs the Commission to accept the licensee's judgment if found to be reasonable and made in good faith.

Prohibits the Commission, in determining whether to renew a license, from considering whether the public interest, convenience, and necessity might be served by granting a license to a competing applicant.

Directs the Commission to conduct an inquiry and prescribe any necessary regulations concerning any additional information that licensees should be required to maintain and make available to the public regarding the licensee's responsibility to broadcast material responsive to matters of public concern.

Makes it unlawful for a license applicant and any other person, while a license application is pending, to effectuate an agreement whereby the other person withdraws or withholds an informal objection or a petition to deny in exchange for the payment of any thing of value by, or on behalf of, the applicant.

Directs the Commission to establish a procedure by which informal complaints received by the Commission may be reviewed during the license term of a radio licensee. Authorizes the Commission to consider a complaint or its resolution in its determination of whether to grant license renewal. Applies the prohibition on financial settlements to the formal complaint process.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2682: Broadcast License Renewal Act of 1987. 101st Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-2682/
MLA
"H.R. 2682: Broadcast License Renewal Act of 1987." 101st Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-2682/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 2682, 101st Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-2682/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 2682: Broadcast License Renewal Act of 1987](https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-2682/)
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