December 5, 2008
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House

H.R. 2052, Preservation of Localism, Program Diversity and Competition in Television Broadcast Service Act
Sponsor: Rep. Richard Burr, R-N.C.
Introduced: May 9, 2003
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 2052 looks to prevent further consolidation of media outlets. The goal of the bill is to promote localism, diversity of television-station ownership and competition. The bill would establish ownership limits, including the prohibition of licenses for those TV companies whose combined assets could reach more than 35 percent of the national audience. A Senate companion bill, S. 1046, was introduced. Both measures would counteract a ruling by the FCC that would increase the current media-ownership cap to 45 percent of the national audience.
H.R. 2462, Project Diversity in Media Act
Sponsor: Rep. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt.
Introduced: June 12, 2003
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 2462 seeks to void a June 2003, FCC decision to relax media-ownership rules. The measure is one of several introduced to undo the controversial ruling, which would enable companies to own multiple media outlets in the same markets and deliver broadcasts to a greater share of the national audience. The bill would restore the previous media-ownership regulations.
H.R. 3143, International Consumer Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla.
Introduced: Sept. 23, 2003
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 3143 seeks to enhance the FTC’s ability to enforce laws on cross-border fraud and deception. That would entail actions that could cause foreseeable injury within the United States. The FTC could gather information and evidence on particular cases and share that information with international bodies if necessary. The bill would authorize up to $100,000 per year to help support entities like the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network, which targets issues such as fraud and deception on the Internet, and the International Competition Network, which focuses on antitrust issues.
H. Res. 212, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y.
Introduced: May 1, 2003
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H. Res. 212 would express the House’s opposition to the FCC’s plan to revise its media-ownership rules. The plan, penned by FCC Chairman Michael Powell, would allow media companies to own newspapers and television stations in the same city, ending a 28-year ban on the practice, and to reach up to 45 percent of the national audience. In June 2003, the FCC approved the rules change in a split vote, but House and Senate lawmakers moved quickly to overturn the ruling, either by denying funds to the FCC to implement the change or by using an obscure congressional veto power. A similar resolution H. Res. 218, was introduced.
H. Res. 218, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y.
Introduced: May 6, 2003
Committee: House Energy and CommerceE
Description: H. Res. 218 would express the House’s opposition to the FCC’s plan to revise its media-ownership rules. The plan, penned by FCC Chairman Michael Powell, would allow media companies to own newspapers and television stations in the same city, ending a 28-year ban on the practice, and to reach up to 45 percent of the national audience. In June 2003, the FCC approved the rules change in a split vote, but House and Senate lawmakers moved quickly to overturn the ruling, either by denying funds to the FCC to implement the change or by using an obscure congressional veto power. A similar resolution, H. Res. 212, was introduced.
H.J. Res. 72, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y.
Introduced: Oct. 16, 2003
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.J. Res. 72 would overturn the FCC's revised rules on media ownership. The measure is one of several introduced to undo the controversial ruling, which would enable companies to own multiple media outlets in the same markets and deliver broadcasts to a greater share of the national audience.

Senate

S. 1046, Preservation of Localism, Program Diversity and Competition in Television Broadcast Service Act
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska
Introduced: May 13, 2003
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 1046 looks to prevent further consolidation of media outlets. The goal of the bill is to promote localism, diversity of television-station ownership and competition. The bill would establish ownership limits, including the prohibition of licenses for those TV companies whose combined assets could reach more than 35 percent of the national audience. A House companion bill, H.R. 2052, was introduced. Both measures would counteract a ruling by the FCC that would increase the current media-ownership cap to 45 percent of the national audience.
S. 1080, Antitrust Improvements Act
Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
Introduced: May 19, 2003
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. 1080 would revise the penalties for antitrust violations. The legislation would up the maximum jail sentence from three years to 10 and increase the maximum fine from $10 million to $100 million. All collected fines would be put into a victims’ fund and eventually distributed to support victims' advocacy groups.
S.1799, Standards Development Organization Advancement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
Introduced: Oct. 30, 20003
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. 1799 attempts to encourage the work of standards-setting organizations by exempting them from antitrust laws. The bill would exempt those bodies from the law when they are developing voluntary industry standards if they meet general guidelines of openness, balance, transparency, consensus and due process involving the standards. A similar House measure, H.R. 1086, was introduced.
S. 1933, Enhancing Federal Obscenity Reporting and Copyright Enforcement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
Introduced: November 22, 2003
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. 1933 would grant an antitrust exemption to the recording industry and music publishers so they could negotiate copyright royalties for new digital formats. One element of the music industry's campaign against Internet piracy is to find a legal means of distribution, like pre-loading digital songs onto computer hard drives or introducing audio versions of digital versatile discs, commonly known as DVD-audio. The measure seeks to bolster that effort. The bill also would settle a lingering dispute about calculating damages for piracy and authorize $5 million in annual funding for the Justice Department to assemble more data about copyright infringement.
S. Res. 159, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.
Introduced: June 4, 2003
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. Res. 159 would decry the FCC for “unreasonable haste” and a lack of public input in approving changes to the rules on media ownership. The non-binding resolution would specifically condemn a change that lets media conglomerates own more outlets, arguing that doing so will result in homogenous news coverage and will hinder media diversification.
S. J. Res. 17, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
Introduced: July 15, 2003
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. J. Res. 17 would issue a rarely used congressional veto against recent FCC changes to media-ownership rules. Under the 7-year-old Congressional Review Act that authorizes such a “resolution of disapproval, the measure would be allotted 10 hours of floor debate and could be filibustered or amended.

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