Today, Senate Commerce Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced the “Satellite Television Access Reauthorization Act of 2019 (STAR Act)” to enable satellite TV subscribers to access broadcast stations to view news, sports, and programming at a fair and competitive price.

Today, Public Knowledge joined five other public interest groups in a letter urging Congress to pass the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization (STELAR) by the end of this year.

Today, Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Steve Scalise (R-LA) introduced the “Modern Television Act” to promote competition and lower prices in the video marketplace by promoting privately-negotiated copyright.

Today, the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modify or eliminate the 39 percent national audience reach cap that prevents broadcast stations from owning too much of the market. The NPRM will also seek comment on the UHF discount used by broadcast television station groups to calculate compliance with the audience reach cap.

Amazon and Google are putting consumers in the middle of a corporate battle between the two technology giants. According to the reports, Google has blocked YouTube from the Amazon Echo Show, and will be removing its YouTube app from Amazon’s Fire TV. This is in response to Amazon refusing to carry certain Google hardware products in its store. Public Knowledge contends that this behavior by major platforms jeopardizes consumer choice.

Today, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the proposed merger of AT&T and Time Warner. Public Knowledge supports this lawsuit because this $108 billion merger would harm the American public by inflating prices, harming competition, and reducing programming opportunities for diverse media voices.

Today, the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes eliminating the mandatory reporting form (“Form 325”) the FCC uses to track cable prices and subscriber information. The FCC is required by law to report annually to Congress on both cable pricing and competition in the cable industry.

Yesterday, Public Knowledge filed comments in the Federal Communications Commission’s recent inquiry addressing the state of competition in the market for the delivery of video programming. The agency is seeking input on the state of competition in the video marketplace — an effort that can provide a foundation for future agency policymaking.

Today, the Washington Center for Equitable Growth launched a new antitrust paper, “A Communications Oligopoly on Steroids: Why antitrust enforcement and regulatory oversight in digital communications matter,” by Public Knowledge President and CEO, Gene Kimmelman, and Consumer Federation of America’s research director, Mark Cooper.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a district court that had found that FilmOn (formerly known as “Aereokiller”), an online video service, can use the same copyright compulsory licenses as traditional cable TV services. Public Knowledge supported FilmOn’s legal position in this case and is disappointed by the outcome.