WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Tuesday collectively gave its nod to a fifth order of business on its Executive Session agenda, and the NAB is pleased.
S.3405, the “Low Power Protection Act,” is heading for a floor vote by the upper body of Congress.
What happens now for the LPTV Broadcasters Association?
“This is still the beginning,” association Executive Director Michael Lee tells RBR+TVBR.
As first reported Monday, the LPTV Broadcasters Association seeks an amendment of the amount of Class A TV stations that would be eligible for an upgrade from low-power TV status. At present, Lee explained, “the legislation as it is currently written will effect only a very small group of LPTVs that may want to apply for Class A status, based on household size based on Nielsen DMA rankings of 177-210.”
The association seeks a bump to 500,000 households, shifting the range all the way up to DMA No. 60, down to DMA No. 210.
This puts the LPTV Broadcasters Association on perhaps a different path than the NAB, which applauded the passage of the bill. Curtis LeGeyt, the NAB President/CEO, commented, “This legislation offers a long-overdue opportunity for low power television stations operating in the smallest and mostly rural markets to gain Class A status and ensure their continued service into the future. Providing important interference protections will allow these broadcasters to better serve their millions of viewers by hiring more journalists, investing in new equipment and transitioning to the ATSC 3.0 standard.”
The bill was introduced by Senators Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) but has just two other co-sponsors. Still, the floor vote is significant, and could happen regardless of the LPTV Broadcasters Association’s calls for a markup.
In a statement released just before 4pm, the LPTV Broadcasters Association slammed the Committee and declaring “shame on” Blunt, Wyden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Deb Fischer for passing a “flawed” bill.
As the association sees it, the legislators “individually and collectively sent a message that is loud and clear to local journalism, minorities, culturally diverse, religious, veteran and disabled LPTV station owners that they have no interest whatsoever in protecting independent Low Power Television, only corporate supporters.”
The LPTV Broadcasters Association added that the Act was engineered “to benefit the select few and threw everyone else under the bus. The LPTV Broadcasters Association’s papers submitted to the Committee went ignored and the Act was passed without consideration of the actual people it was designed to protect.”
The LPTV Broadcasters Association says it will continue to speak out for the industry “and the many small business owners around the country that have been poorly served by this disgraceful development.”
