[19991126]RS20057_Retransmission of Network Programming Under the Satellite Home Viewer Act Summary of the PrimeTime 24 Decision.pdf

Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS20057Updated November 26, 1999Retransmission of Network Programming Underthe Satellite Home Viewer Act: Summary of thePrimeTime 24 Decision(name redacted)Legislative AttorneyAmerican Law DivisionSummaryOn May 12, 1998, the Federal District Court in Miami, Florida issued a preliminaryinjunction, ordering PrimeTime 24, a distributor of satellite television programmingservices, to terminate the retransmission of network television signals (specifically theprogramming of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and Fox television networks)to many of its customers nationwide. The court predicated the issuance of the injunctionon its finding that PrimeTime 24 had violated provisions of the Satellite Home ViewerAct, which limit the retransmission of network television signals to customers residingin unserved households. Because of the number of satellite television subscribersaffected and the potential inability of many such customers to receive any network signalsafter the scheduled termination dates, the court orders have generated considerableattention and questions regar