Herb Kohl: “Thank you, Mr. President. Along with my colleagues, Senators Hatch and Leahy, I rise in support of the Copyright…”

“Thank you, Mr. President. Along with my colleagues, Senators Hatch and Leahy, I rise in support of the Copyright Compulsory License Improvement Act of 1997. This proposal, although clearly not a final product, is an important step forward in creating true competition between satellite and cable television. And that is an important step forward for consumers. Mr. President, this bill generally takes the right approach. It gives satellite carriers the ability to provide the one thing that consumers want most: local television broadcast signals. In return, the satellite carriers must comply with FCC regulations governing syndicated exclusivity, sports blackout protection, and network nonduplication. The measure also creates a retransmission consent process, and establishes certain 'must carry' obligations on satellite carriers that rebroadcast local signals. As a general premise, it seems only fair that the benefits of carrying local signals should be balanced with reasonable regulatory burdens that are consistent with cable's obligations. But we should also look at reducing at least some of the 'must carry' burdens--for example, why should any provider be required to carry the Home Shopping Network, which is predominantly commercial? So what does all this mean for businesses and consumers? Hopefully, it will create more availability and affordability in television programs.”