Senator Blunt Introduces Amendment To Protect Local TV Broadcasters From The Obama Administration's Controversial FCC Rule

Press Release

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) this week introduced an amendment to the Satellite Television Access and Viewer Rights Act (STAVRA) in the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee markup to protect local television broadcasters with Joint Sales Agreements (JSAs) that had already been approved before the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) controversial rule was issued on March 31, 2014.

JSAs are financial arrangements between local TV broadcasters to sell advertising time for one another. These agreements have become increasingly popular in recent years among broadcasters in small and medium-sized markets across the country, and have helped to expand the diversity, localism, and competition of programming.

"In recent years, Joint Sales Agreements have saved stations from going dark, added diverse programing, and enabled local news programming for many TV broadcasters in Missouri and across the country," Blunt said. "In Joplin, Missouri, a JSA between two local stations enabled them to upgrade their Doppler radar systems, which helped save lives during the devastating tornado of 2011."

"The FCC's rule is another example of blatant government overreach by the Obama Administration, which unfairly singles out local broadcasters for enhanced regulatory treatment and exacerbates an uneven playing field between local stations and their competitors," Blunt continued. "My amendment would protect TV broadcasters with pre-existing JSAs from the Obama Administration's controversial rule that could otherwise prevent citizens in rural areas from getting their news."

In March 2014, Blunt took the lead in sending a letter to the FCC with members of the Missouri delegation regarding JSAs among local broadcasters. Blunt also signed on to a letter to the FCC with five of his Senate colleagues.

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