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HR 501 109th Congress House

Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act

Official title: To enforce the public interest obligations of broadcast station licensees to their local communities.

Introduced: May 5, 2005 See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 109th Congress ended
It never became law before the 109th Congress (2005–2006) 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
Feb 25, 2005
Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
Feb 1, 2005
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Feb 1, 2005
Introduced in House
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 Latest action February 25, 2005

Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from issuing or renewing any license for a broadcasting station based upon a finding that the issuance or renewal serves the public interest, convenience, and necessity unless such station: (1) covers issues of importance to the local community in a fair manner, taking into account diverse interests and viewpoints of the local community; (2) holds two public hearings each year in the local community to ascertain the needs and interests of the local communities that they serve; and (3) documents and reports in writing, on a biannual basis to the FCC, the programming that is broadcast to cover the issues of public importance as ascertained through the hearings process, and how such coverage reflects the diverse interests and viewpoints in the local community.

Allows any interested person to file a petition with the FCC to deny a license renewal for a broadcast station's failure to follow the above requirements.

Reduces from eight to four years the term of a broadcast license.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 5
All 5 Democratic 4 Independent 1
D
Lofgren, Zoe
California · Nov 4, 2005
 D
Case, Ed
Hawaii · May 5, 2005
 D
Doggett, Lloyd
Texas · May 5, 2005
 I
Sanders, Bernard
Vermont · May 5, 2005
 D
Schakowsky, Janice D.
Illinois · May 5, 2005
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 501: Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act. 109th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-501/
MLA
"H.R. 501: Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act." 109th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-501/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 501, 109th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-501/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 501: Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-501/)
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