Political Quotes

“I rise this afternoon because there is a legislative deadline in front of this body that we dare not miss. Even as I speak, our colleagues in the House Energy and Commerce Committee are considering the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization, or STELAR. For 30 years, STELAR and previous versions of the law have allowed people who live beyond the reach of a broadcast signal to receive broadcast programming nonetheless. Some Senators believe that in 2019, STELAR has outlived its usefulness and want it to expire, but other Senators want to extend some of these provisions--at least in the short term--to prevent consumers from losing these broadcast signals; still others want to use the STELAR reauthorization legislation as a vehicle to implement other reforms. I have introduced new legislation, the Satellite Television Access Reauthorization--or STAR--Act to move this process forward. The existing STELAR statute expires December 31. So absent congressional action before the end of the year, the provisions included in STELAR that enable nearly 870,000 Americans to access broadcasting TV signals will no longer be the law of the land. These Americans who depend on STELAR are mostly in rural parts of this country, like my home State of Mississippi. They include truckers, tailgaters, and RV drivers, and they include Americans living in very remote areas. I say to my colleagues, now is the time for Senators to make their positions clear.…”