,,ii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bbbj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #bd1 #bjba,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself and ,mr4 ,booker7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,communications ,act of #aicd to clarify the obligations of licensees under section #cca of that ,act1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,section #cca ,obligation ,clarification ,act4 #b4 ,licensee requirements 7a7 ,in general ,section #cca of the ,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #cca7 is amended by striking subsection 7a7 and inserting the following3 7a7 ,television stations in underserved ,states 7#a7 ,channel allocation 7,a7 ,commission policy ,it shall be the policy of the ,commission to allocate channels for commercial television broadcasting in a manner which ensures that not less than #a very high frequency channel and not less than #a ultra high frequency channel shall be allocated to each ,state1 if technically feasible4 7,b7 ,reallocation of very high frequency channels and ultra high frequency channels ,in any case in which a licensee of a very high frequency commercial television broadcast station or an ultra high frequency commercial television broadcast station notifies the ,commission to the effect that such licensee will agree to the reallocation of its channel to a community within a ,state in which1 at the time of such notification1 there is allocated no very high frequency commercial television broadcast channel or ultra high frequency commercial television broadcast channel1 as applicable1 the ,commission shall1 notwithstanding any other provision of law1 order such reallocation and issue a license to such licensee for that purpose under section #cjg4 7#b7 ,licensee requirements ,a licensee of a commercial television broadcast station that receives a license under section #cjg based on the notification provided under paragraph 7#a77;,b7 7or1 with respect to a license received before the date of enactment of the ,section #cca ,obligation ,clarification ,act1 based on the notification provided under the second sentence of this subsection1 as in effect before that date of enactment71 or to which any such license is transferred1 shall-- 7,a7 broadcast on the channel of the licensee not fewer than #ad hours of common local programming per week1 not fewer than #g hours of which shall be broadcast between the hours of #f3jj p4m4 and midnight2 7,b7 include as part of the common local programming broadcast under subparagraph 7,a7 a substantial amount of particularized local content2 7,c7 maintain a broadcast studio in the station's community of license for each license so received or transferred2 7,d7 file with the ,commission a regular disclosure of all programming broadcast under subparagraph 7,a7 during the period covered by the disclosure1 which-- 7i7 shall include a detailed explanation of how that programming satisfies the requirements of that subparagraph2 and 7ii7 the ,commission shall make publicly available2 and 7,e7 when developing the programming described in subparagraph 7,a71 including the particularized local content required under subparagraph 7,b71 take steps to determine the programming needs of the community to which the channel is allocated1 which may include consulting with community leaders and members of the general public in that community4 7#c7 ,effect of changes to ultra high frequency station ,if the station of a licensee described in paragraph 7#b7 changes from a very high frequency commercial television broadcast station to an ultra high frequency commercial television broadcast station-- 7,a7 the licensee shall ensure that the change does not affect any special service obligation imposed on the licensee-- 7i7 7,i7 with respect to a licensee that receives the license before the date of enactment of the ,section #cca ,obligation ,clarification ,act1 pursuant to the terms of that license2 or 7,,ii7 with respect to a licensee that receives the license on or after the date of enactment of the ,section #cca ,obligation ,clarification ,act1 because of the fact that the licensee received the license pursuant to paragraph 7#a77;,b72 and 7ii7 without regard to whether the ,commission imposed the obligation-- 7,i7 by rule or order2 or 7,,ii7 as part of the grant or renewal of the license2 and 7,b7 the ,commission may not directly or indirectly reduce or eliminate the special service obligation described in subparagraph 7,a7 because of that change4 7#d7 ,definition ,in this subsection1 the term particularized local content means programming-- 7,a7 aired on a commercial television broadcast channel by a licensee described in paragraph 7#b72 and 7,b7 that-- 7i7 has specific1 articulable1 and particularized appeal for the community to which the channel described in subparagraph 7,a7 is allocated 7as described in paragraph 7#b77 that is separate and distinct from the general national or general local television market appeal2 7ii7 includes news or public affairs information about the ,state1 or the region of the ,state1 in which the community described in clause 7i7 is located2 and 7iii7 is responsive to the unique concerns of the community described in clause 7i7 as part of a ,state that lacks a television market that is centered in that ,state4 4 7b7 ,rulemaking2 ,,gao report 7#a7 ,definitions ,in this subsection-- 7,a7 the term ,commission means the ,federal ,communications ,commission2 and 7,b7 the term section #cca means section #cca of the ,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #cca71 as amended by subsection 7a74 7#b7 ,rules ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission shall issue final rules to implement the amendments made by subsection 7a74 7#c7 ,requirements ,the rules required under paragraph 7#b7 shall-- 7,a7 contain specific procedures and requirements for how an individual who lives in a community to which a commercial television broadcast channel is reallocated in accordance with subsection 7a77#a77;,b7 of section #cca can challenge whether the licensee with respect to that channel has satisfied the requirements of the licensee under section #cca1 particularly when that licensee seeks to renew the license with respect to that channel2 7,b7 include guidance regarding what type of evidence the ,commission shall accept and review in determining whether a licensee described in subparagraph 7,a7 is satisfying the requirements of the licensee under section #cca2 and 7,c7 ensure that the procedure by which an individual described in subparagraph 7,a7 can participate in the review by the ,commission of a licensee described in that subparagraph-- 7i7 is simple and straightforward2 and 7ii7 includes holding community forums as necessary4 7#d7 ,,gao report 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date on which the rules issued under paragraph 7#b7 take effect1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to ,congress a report that examines the process by which the ,commission renews broadcast television licenses to determine if that process adequately meets the obligations of the ,commission under the ,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #aea et seq471 particularly how that process relates to television broadcast stations that have specific statutory or license obligations to serve the needs of the communities in which the stations are located 7and the needs of individuals in those communities71 including stations licensed under section #cca4 7,b7 ,contents ,in performing the examination required under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall examine the following issues3 7i7 ,the extent to which the renewal process described in that subparagraph examines the needs of the community that a broadcast station is required to serve4 7ii7 ,the extent to which the ,commission considers and weighs any evidence presented demonstrating that a broadcast station has failed to meet any applicable legal obligation4 7iii7 ,whether the ,commission has clarified the types of evidence that a concerned local citizen is required to offer for the ,commission to refuse to renew a license of a broadcast station under section #cji7k77#a7 of the ,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #cji7k77#a77 or section #cca1 as applicable1 based on the inability or refusal of the broadcast station to serve the local community with respect to the station consistent with the obligations of the licensee4 7iv7 ,whether the ,commission has clarified the types of evidence that a broadcast station is required to present to establish that the station is meeting the obligations of the station under the license granted to the station4 7v7 ,whether the ,commission has clarified the circumstances under which the ,commission will examine in detail the evidence presented by a broadcast station to confirm that the station is in compliance with section #cji7k77#a7 of the ,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #cji7k77#a77 and section #cca1 as applicable4 7vi7 ,whether the ,commission has made clear the circumstances under which the ,commission will revoke the license of a station operating under special obligations under section #cca4 7vii7 ,what1 if any1 enforcement actions or other investigations the ,commission has undertaken to ensure that broadcast stations satisfy the requirement under section #cji7k77#a7 of the ,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #cji7k77#a77 to serve the public interest4 7viii7 ,the impact that the elimination of what is commonly referred to as the ,main ,studio ,rule could have on the special obligations under section #cca4 7ix7 ,whether the ,commission has indicated how the ,commission will enforce the obligations under section #cji7k77#a7 of the ,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #cji7k77#a77 and section #cca in consideration of the fact that the ,commission has permitted owners of television broadcast stations to eliminate the main studio of those stations in the community of license4 7c7 ,severability ,if any provision of this section1 an amendment made by this section1 or the application of that provision or amendment to any person or circumstance is held to be unconstitutional1 the other provisions of this section1 the amendments made by this section1 and the application of those provisions or amendments to any other person or circumstance shall not be affected by that holding4