Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) reintroduced the Next Generation Television Marketplace Act on Thursday, which would repeal laws on compulsory copyright licenses, eliminate mandates on private sector companies and withdraw some FCC broadcast and media ownership rules.
Rep. Cory Garnder (R-Colo.) is an original cosponsor of the bill. The measure addresses compulsory license laws that have been in place for decades.
“Decades-old broadcast, cable and satellite laws dramatically restrict access and limit consumer choice,” Scalise said. “Broadcast television is a unique and important platform. Valuable local affiliate programming, strongly demanded by consumers including myself, is proof that archaic government regulations are unnecessary today. Instead, traditional copyright law should facilitate the distribution of this programming so that broadcasters are rightfully paid for their content, rather than for the use of a signal.”
Consumers should be able to customize their viewing experience, Scalise added, without laws and regulations restricting their television experience, or its price point.
“A 21st video market deserves a 21st century law, and laws that are over 20 years old simply fail to address the reality of the video services market as it exists today,” Gardner said. “A free-market approach is the way we move forward. Businesses will be given the freedom to work and grow in the video market today and be ready as it continues to evolve in the future…”
Scalise said he would continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to advance a policy that works for consumers, fosters innovation and spurs economic growth.