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HR 1856 117th Congress House Science, Technology, Communications Administrative law and regulatory procedures Administrative remedies Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies Competition and antitrust Congressional oversight Consumer affairs Contracts and agency Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Government studies and investigations Inflation and prices Intellectual property Licensing and registrations Telecommunication rates and fees Television and film

Modern Television Act of 2021

Introduced: March 11, 2021 Introduced by: Scalise, Steve Republican · Louisiana See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) 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 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 18, 2021
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Mar 12, 2021
Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Mar 11, 2021
Introduced in House
Mar 11, 2021
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.
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Modern Television Act of 2021

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.

What's happening now May 18, 2021

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

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
 Lobbying activity 1

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

  • DIRECTV, LLC
    for DIRECTV, LLC · California · 1st Quarter (Jan 1 - Mar 31) 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1856: Modern Television Act of 2021. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-1856/
MLA
"H.R. 1856: Modern Television Act of 2021." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-1856/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1856, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-1856/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1856: Modern Television Act of 2021](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-1856/)
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