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HR 3994 116th Congress House

Modern Television Act of 2019

Official title: To repeal certain provisions of the Communications Act of 1934, title 17 of the United States Code, and certain regulations, to allow for interim carriage of t… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To repeal certain provisions of the Communications Act of 1934, title 17 of the United States Code, and certain regulations, to allow for interim carriage of television broadcast signals, and for other purposes.

Introduced: July 25, 2019 Introduced by: Scalise, Steve Republican · Louisiana See on congress.gov
Science, Technology, Communications Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAdministrative remediesAlternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitrationBroadcasting, cable, digital technologies
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Competition and antitrustCongressional oversightConsumer affairsContracts and agencyFederal Communications Commission (FCC)Government studies and investigationsInflation and pricesIntellectual propertyLicensing and registrationsTelecommunication rates and feesTelevision and film
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) 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 5 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 28, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Aug 28, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law.
Jul 26, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Jul 25, 2019
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jul 25, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Latest action August 28, 2019

Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Modern Television Act of 2019

This bill establishes measures to prevent blackouts of television broadcast stations, including requiring good-faith negotiations in broadcast agreements and providing for outside arbitration of certain negotiation disputes.

Specifically, the bill requires a station and a cable or satellite service to negotiate in good faith when attempting to reach a marketplace agreement, and it requires the cable or satellite service to retransmit the signal of a station for up to 60 days while the parties renegotiate an expired agreement. The Federal Communications Commission may require a station and a cable or satellite service to submit to binding arbitration to resolve any dispute that may arise (the parties must be retroactively paid for content aired during this time). Further, a station is prohibited from requiring payment from a cable or satellite service for customers of the cable or satellite service who do not receive the signals of the station from that service.

Additionally, the bill repeals specified provisions, including those related to retransmission consent and compulsory copyright licenses. The bill also disallows federal, state, and local authorities from regulating the rates of a cable or satellite service.

The Government Accountability Office must assess the impact of the bill.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 5
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3994: Modern Television Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3994/
MLA
"H.R. 3994: Modern Television Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3994/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3994, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3994/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3994: Modern Television Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3994/)
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