STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014
Background
Congress recently passed the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014 (“STELARA”), which the President signed into law on December 4, 2014. This law reauthorizes for another five years the satellite carrier distant broadcast signal license found in Section 119 of the Copyright Act. The statutory license for such satellite retransmissions is now scheduled to expire December 31, 2019. STELARA expands the local service area for cable retransmissions of low power television stations and requires the GAO to conduct a report concerning changes to carriage requirements that would be required or beneficial to consumers if Congress phased out the statutory compulsory licensing procedures under Sections 111 and 119 of the Act. STELARA also amends several provisions of the Communications Act and requires the FCC to publish information and conduct rulemakings in connection with the implementation of portions of STELARA. For further detail on those matters, consult the FCC’s website at www.fcc.gov..
Frequently Asked Questions on the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014
What is the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014?
Congress recently passed the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014 (“STELARA”), which the President signed into law on December 4, 2014. This law reauthorizes for another five years the satellite carrier distant broadcast signal license found in Section 119 of the Copyright Act. The statutory license for such satellite retransmissions is now scheduled to expire December 31, 2019. STELARA expands the local service area for cable retransmissions of low power television stations and requires the GAO to conduct a report concerning changes to carriage requirements that would be required or beneficial to consumers if Congress phased out the statutory compulsory licensing procedures under Sections 111 and 119 of the Act. STELARA also amends several provisions of the Communications Act and requires the FCC to publish information and conduct rulemakings in connection with the implementation of portions of STELARA. For further detail on those matters, consult the FCC’s website at www.fcc.gov.
How does the new law affect the status of low power television stations?
STELARA expanded the definition of a “local market” in Section 111 for low power television stations (“LPTVs”) to include a station’s designated market area (“DMA”) and any community that is located outside the DMA but wholly or partially within 35 miles of the transmitter site, or within 20 miles of the transmitter site for the top 50 metropolitan areas. This amendment effectively expands the local markets for LPTVs as of the 2015/1 accounting period. This technical amendment eliminates the disparity in compulsory license provisions applicable to cable versus satellite carriers with regard to carriage of LPTV stations by making consistent the definitions in Sections 111 and 119.
Did the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014 affect royalty or filing fees for cable or satellite operators?
No. STELARA made no changes to the filing fees or royalty fee rates or structures for cable or satellite operators.