FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
WASHINGTON
OFFICE OF
THE CHAIRMAN June 16,2015
The Honorable John Delaney
U.S. House of Representatives
1632 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Delaney:
Thank you for your letter regarding the Federal Communications Commission's
(Commission) requirement to put forth rules on market modification for implementing the
Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization (STELAR) Act. I also thank
you for your view expressing concern about whether residents of Garrett County, Maryland, will
have the opportunity to acheive a market modification. Your views are very important and will
be included in the record of the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review.
STELAR was enacted in December 2014, and Section 102 of this law gives the
Commission authority to modify a commercial television station's local television market for
purposes of satellite carriage rights. Prior to the enactment of STELAR, the Commission had
authority to modify markets only in the cable carriage context. The Commission proposes to
apply the existing cable rule to the satellite carriage context, while adding rules to address the
unique nature of satellite television service.
On March 16,2015, the Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which
seeks comment on many of the rules necessary for implementing STELAR, including the issue
you raise as to how satellite subscribers can meaningfully advocate for receipt of in-state
programming via satellite. I am hopeful that the proposed rules will offer an opportunity for
satellite subscribers in so-called "orphan counties," like Garrett County, to receive in-state
stations via satellite. However, the ability of the market modification provision to successfully
address orphan county problems in specific communities will depend in large part on satellite
carriers' technical and financial ability to provide the in-state stations to those areas. The
comment period for this proposal has ended, and Commission staff is currently reviewing the
record in its entirety. The Commission is under a statutory deadline to adopt these rules by
September 4,2015.
I appreciate your interest in this matter. I understand how deeply Garrett County
residents care about receiving their in-state political news, sports, public affairs programming,
and employment information, and I assure you the Commission is working diligently to achieve
that goal. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Sincerely, ~~:I!r;./-
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