WASHINGTON—The final days of STELAR are upon us, as Congress has included provisions into its Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations legislation that will allow for the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization to expire.

The House on approved the bill on Tuesday. The Senate passed the bill on Thursday night, which means that STELAR will sunset when the new year begins.

The appropriations bill, includes what is labeled as Title X (Television Viewer Protection) and Title XI (Eligibility to Receive Signals Under a Distant-Signal Satellite License). These detail a pair of bills approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate that will allow for the sunsetting of STELAR at the end of December, while also creating permanent distant-signal satellite license provisions for specific markets. It also would make permanent “good faith” negotiations requirements during retransmission negotiations.

The part of the bill that would create permanent distant-signal licenses covers RVs, truckers, tailgaters and “short markets” that do not have a full complement of local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox-affiliated TV stations. However, for satellite operators to qualify for the permanent license, the bill requires that they must deliver local TV signals when possible. Dish has already accomplished this, but DirecTV would have to meet the bill’s May 31, 2020 deadline for 12 “unserved” rural TV markets.

NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith commented on the inclusion of these provisions into the appropriations bill:

“NAB strongly supports key pro-consumer provisions in the appropriations bill released today that address the expiring STELAR bill. Under this legislation, AT&T-DirecTV will be encouraged to finally serve all satellite TV subscribers with their local TV stations. The bill also ends the five-year renewal cycle of satellite TV legislation that has incentivized pay-TV companies to deny carriage of broadcast TV stations during retransmission consent negotiations.”

AT&T is one of the opponents of letting STELAR sunset, and made its stance clear in a recent blog post.

It is expected that President Trump will approve the appropriations bill. 

WASHINGTON—Though threats and proposals had been made to freeze or defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the last year, the recent passage of the Appropriations Act of 2018 by Congress has helped to ensure funding for the organization through FY 2020.

Specifically, the bill provides $445 million for CPB’s FY 2020 advanced appropriation, $20 million for upgrading and replacing the public broadcasting interconnection system and $27.7 million for the Department of Education’s Ready to Learn program.

[Appropriations Bill Includes $600M for 2018 Repack Expenses]

The following statement was made by Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB:

“The legislation reaffirms that federal funding for public media is an investment that continues to deliver proven value and service to the American people. On behalf of the millions of Americans who benefit from public media’s services every day, CPB thanks Congress for its longstanding support.

“The federal appropriation is the foundation of a uniquely American public-private partnership, providing essential funding for the nearly 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations across the country. Only through the federal appropriation can public media serve every American wherever they live, whatever their economic circumstance, free of charge and commercial free.

“The funds stewarded by CPB enable public media stations to play an essential role in public safety and civic leadership as well as in providing trusted local journalism, high-quality educational programming and local services to communities throughout the nation—rural, small town and urban communities alike. Because of Congress’ support, public media can continue to tell America’s diverse story in a way that enhances our civil society and connects us to one another.