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Congress·In Committee·about 1 year ago

Congress Proposes Requiring Cable and Satellite Companies to Refund Customers During Channel Blackouts

Also known as: Stop Sports Blackouts Act

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
Senate
House
President

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Key Points

  • This bill aims to protect TV subscribers from paying for channels they cannot watch. It focuses on 'blackouts,' which happen when cable or satellite companies and TV stations cannot agree on a contract, causing certain channels to disappear from your lineup.
  • If passed, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would have 90 days to create new rules. These rules would force cable and satellite companies to give customers a partial refund or 'rebate' for every day a promised channel is missing due to these contract fights.
  • The policy covers both local broadcast stations and other cable channels. It ensures that if a company promised you a specific set of channels when you signed up or renewed your plan, they must pay you back if they stop providing them during a negotiation.
  • This matters because sports fans and regular TV viewers often lose access to big games or favorite shows for weeks or months while companies argue over money. Currently, most customers still have to pay their full monthly bill even when several channels are missing.
  • The FCC would be responsible for deciding exactly how much money customers should get back. This would likely be based on how many channels are gone and how long the blackout lasts.
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Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jan 30, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Jan 30, 2025

Introduced in Senate

Related News

5 articles
TV Technology·about 1 year ago

Legislation Proposed to Require Refunds During TV Blackouts

The proposed 'Stop Sports Blackouts Act' would direct the FCC to require television distributors to provide rebates to subscribers for blackouts occurring due to carriage disputes. The bill targets both local broadcast stations and non-broadcast entities like regional sports networks.

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Policyband·about 1 year ago

D.C. Memo: Partisan Video Bill Exempts Streamers Like YouTube TV from Refund Mandates

The 'Stop Sports Blackouts Act' would require cable and satellite providers to refund customers for lost programming but excludes streaming services like YouTube TV. Critics argue the bill ignores the growing market share of virtual providers who also experience occasional blackouts.

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Westfair Communications·about 1 year ago

HV and CT lawmakers join to help TV subscribers

Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan and Sen. Chris Murphy introduced the 'Stop Sports Blackouts Act' to ensure cable subscribers receive automatic rebates when promised channels are pulled during contract fights. Lawmakers cited over 3,000 blackout days in New York since 2010 as a primary motivation.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Stop Sports Blackouts Act

Bill NumberS 328
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.