Due to more than 100,000 phone calls and emails from concerned viewers like you, we have avoided the immediate threat to local TV as Congress considered debt ceiling legislation. Legislative language that could have threatened your access to local TV was stripped from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (NV) debt ceiling bill in late July.
But while the battle appears to be won, the war is not over. There is still the possibility of congressional action when Congress returns to D.C. this fall. There are still bills pending in Congress that could threaten your local TV by seeking to reallocate some TV channels – through a process known as spectrum incentive auctions – to other services without the proper protections for TV viewers.
We must ensure that viewer protections are included so that congressional action on this issue does not impact your ability to receive the local news, public safety information and the high-quality programs you value.
We also want to ensure Congress does not hinder innovations taking place in TV – like free, local TV on your handheld or new HD programming. Tell your member of Congress to protect local TV as they consider ways to auction TV channels.
Thank you for protecting local TV!
