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HR 1840 99th Congress House

Satellite Television Viewing Rights Act of 1985

Official title: A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify policies regarding the right to view satellite-transmitted television programming, and for other purposes.

Introduced: March 6, 1986 See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Antitrust lawCable televisionCommunication satellitesCommunications and Broadcasting
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Price discriminationRestrictive trade practicesSpaceTelevisionTelevision relay systems
This bill died when the 99th Congress ended
It never became law before the 99th Congress (1985–1986) 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
Mar 6, 1986
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Apr 2, 1985
Referred to Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance.
Mar 28, 1985
Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Mar 28, 1985
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 6, 1986

Subcommittee Hearings Held.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Satellite Television Viewing Rights Act of 1985 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to allow any person to receive encrypted satellite cable programming decoded for private viewing upon compliance with prices, terms, and conditions established in the marketplace or by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Prohibits any person from: (1) denying the availability of such programming for private viewing; (2) substantially restricting the availability of such programming for private viewing through pricing or other terms or conditions; (3) discriminating in price between different distributors offering comparable distribution services; or (4) requiring a person to purchase or lease decoding equipment from a specific source in order to receive such programming.

Directs the FCC, if petitioned, to establish reasonable prices, terms, and conditions for the private viewing of such programming in a market by any person who: (1) has been denied viewing rights for at least ten days; (2) has been offered such rights on terms or conditions which substantially restrict the availability of programming; (3) resides in the franchised area of a cable television system where the operator is the sole source of such programming; or (4) resides outside of the franchised area of a cable system where the price for viewing rights is higher than the price paid by subscribers within the market. Sets forth factors to be considered by the FCC in establishing prices.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1840: Satellite Television Viewing Rights Act of 1985. 99th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-1840/
MLA
"H.R. 1840: Satellite Television Viewing Rights Act of 1985." 99th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-1840/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1840, 99th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-1840/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1840: Satellite Television Viewing Rights Act of 1985](https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-1840/)
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