House Communications Eyeing STELA-Focused Hearing in Early June, Doyle Says
Capitol Hill's debate on whether to reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act appears likely to heat up further during the first week of June, with House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., telling reporters he is eyeing a…
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media marketplace hearing for that period. The Senate Commerce Committee is already considering June 5 as the date for its long-expected media market hearing, widely seen as a way to set up that committee's STELA debate (see 1905150062). A hearing could happen during “the first week of June, although I don't think we have an exact date set yet,” Doyle said Tuesday. That hearing won't “be limited” to any particular subset of STELA and media market issues because the law is currently set to sunset at the end of the year. The House Judiciary Committee also has STELA jurisdiction but its reauthorization debate is currently on the backburner amid the panel's concentration on probing President Donald Trump's administration, said ranking member Doug Collins, R-Ga. “I wish our committee would get back” to tackling issues like STELA. He said he currently favors some form of recertification of the law but “there's probably going to be some discussion on changes as well.” Collins and House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., wrote the heads of AT&T's DirecTV and Dish Network in March on how their subscribers would be affected if Congress allowed the law to sunset (see 1903260065). Both providers sidestepped giving the committee leaders specific information on how many of their subscribers would be affected by an end of current STELA rules (see 1904250061).