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.
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Subcommittee Hearings Held.
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.
Cite this page
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/
"H.R. 1840: Satellite Television Viewing Rights Act of 1985." 99th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-1840/.
H.R. 1840, 99th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-1840/.
[H.R. 1840: Satellite Television Viewing Rights Act of 1985](https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-1840/)