HR 888
Stop Sports Blackouts Act of 2025
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Bill overview
This bill, the Stop Sports Blackouts Act of 2025, aims to protect consumers from being unfairly penalized when their cable or satellite providers block access to channels due to programming negotiations. It requires providers to offer rebates to subscribers who lose access to programming they were originally promised as part of their subscription. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be responsible for creating specific rules and determining the amount of these rebates.
Key provisions
- The FCC must issue regulations within 90 days of the bill’s enactment.
- Providers must offer rebates to subscribers during periods of programming blackouts.
- Blackouts must result from ‘covered negotiations’ – retransmission consent agreements or carriage agreements.
- ‘Covered negotiations’ include agreements with television broadcast stations and other entities.
- The bill defines ‘provider’ as cable operators and direct broadcast satellite service providers.
- ‘Video programming’ is defined as programming included in a subscriber’s subscription.
- Rebates are required for periods where a subscriber is denied access to programming they were promised.
- The FCC will establish the appropriate amount for the rebates.
Who is affected
- Cable and satellite television subscribers
- Cable operators
- Direct broadcast satellite service providers
- Television broadcast stations
- Consumers
Notable changes
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] Norton
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 888
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate regulations with respect to rebates for certain video programming blackouts, and for other purposes.
This Act may be cited as the Stop Sports Blackouts Act of 2025
.
Title VII of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
to establish the appropriate amount of a rebate issued under paragraph (1).
In this section:
A cable operator (as defined in section 602).
The term television broadcast station has the meaning given such term in section 325(b)(7).