Stop Sports Blackouts Act
Congress Proposes Requiring Cable and Satellite Companies to Refund Customers During Channel Blackouts
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
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.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
Small cable operators and satellite providers would be required to issue rebates to subscribers during channel blackouts caused by carriage disputes. This could squeeze profit margins for smaller providers who already have less bargaining power against large broadcasters, though it also creates stronger incentive to resolve disputes quickly.
Activities
Broader Impacts
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
5 articles
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.
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.
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.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Stop Sports Blackouts Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.