Welcome to the FCC's web page on the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act. We hope to answer questions about an issue involving the television broadcast industry, the direct-to-home satellite industry, and consumers who subscribe to satellite carriers for their video programming. As of the fall of 1999, more than ten million households subscribed to satellite carriers, and many people were paying an additional subscription fee to receive broadcast TV network programming through their satellite dish. At the end of November 1999, Congress passed and the President signed legislation that enables satellite carriers to provide more television broadcast programming to subscribers. This new legislation is called the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act ("SHVIA").

The SHVIA amends both the 1988 copyright laws and the Communications Act of 1934. One of the key elements of the SHVIA is that it, for the first time, permits satellite carriers to transmit local television broadcast signals into local markets, also known as "local-into-local." This Act also authorizes satellite carriers to provide distant or national broadcast programming to subscribers.

The SHVIA outlined a dozen tasks for the FCC, many with strict statutory deadlines that must be completed within one year of enactment. Among other things, the law requires the FCC to establish rules for satellite companies with regard to mandatory carriage of broadcast signals, retransmission consent and program exclusivity. The FCC must also make recommendations on the Grade B signal standard and improve the computer model that predicts signal intensity at a household for the purpose of determining eligibility for receiving distant television broadcast signals via satellite.

The FCC intends to implement the 1999 SHVIA aggressively to ensure that the pro-competitive goals of this important legislation are realized.

New Satellite Television Legislation
On November 19, 1999, Congress passed the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 (the "SHVIA"). The SHVIA was signed by the President and became law on November 29, 1999.

One of the key elements of the SHVIA is that it permits satellite carriers to offer their subscribers local TV broadcast signals through the option of providing "local-into-local." This act also authorizes satellite carriers to provide distant or national broadcast programming to subscribers.

This law generally seeks to place satellite carriers on an equal footing with local cable television operators when it comes to the availability of broadcast programming, and thus gives consumers more and better choices in selecting a multichannel video program distributor (MVPD), such as cable or satellite service.

Local stations provided to local markets
SHVIA gives satellite companies the option of providing local broadcast stations to subscribers living in the station's local market area. This is referred to as "local-into-local." SHVIA makes the provision of local channels a choice, not a requirement, for the satellite company.

"Local-into-local" means that if a satellite customer lives in an area where the satellite company has decided to provide the service, the customer can receive local TV channels. If the company decides that it will not provide local broadcast stations in an area, the consumer may still receive local broadcast stations by using an antenna or basic cable service. SHVIA defines the "local market" as the designated market area ("DMA") established by Nielsen Media Research.

Distant stations provided to some subscribers
The new SHVIA also addresses the satellite retransmission of distant television stations to subscribers. This applies to television broadcast stations that are not from the subscriber's local market. Subscribers who cannot receive an over-the-air signal of Grade B intensity using a conventional, stationary rooftop antenna are eligible to receive these distant signals.

In addition, subscribers who were receiving distant signals as of October 31, 1999, or had distant signals terminated after July 11, 1998, may still be eligible to receive distant signals provided they cannot receive over-the-air signals of Grade A intensity. Both Grade A and Grade B signal intensity are defined by FCC rules. If a consumer is eligible to receive distant signals under these provisions, it is still up to the satellite carrier to decide whether to provide the distant signals to eligible subscribers.

FCC Actions and Documents

12/00
SHVIA Fact Sheet: [ MS Word | HTML ]

9/5/01
FCC Affirms Rules For Satellite Carriage Of Local TV Stations: [ News Release: MS Word | Text  | Order on Reconsideration: MS Word | Acrobat | Text ]

8/15/01
FCC Affirms and Clarifies Rules For Retransmission Consent Issues for Satellite Carriers: [ Order: MS Word | Acrobat | Text ]

11/29/00
Commission Implements Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act Provisions Concerning Broadcast Signal Carriage Issues and Retransmission Consent Issues for Satellite Carriers: [ Order: MS Word | Text ]

11/29/00
Technical Standards for Determining Eligibility For Satellite-Delivered Network Signals Pursuant To the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act: [ Report: MS Word | Text ]

10/27/00
Commission Implements Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act Sports Blackout and Program Exclusivity Rule Provisions for Satellite Carriers: [ News Release: MS Word | Text  | Order: MS Word | Text ]

6/8/00
FCC Seeks Comment on Rules for Satellite Carriage of Broadcast Signals: [ News Release: MS Word | Text  | NPRM: MS Word | Text ]

5/26/00
FCC Implements Three More SHVIA Requirements: [ News Release: MS Word | Text  | Order, FCC 00-185: MS Word | Text Notice of Inquiry, FCC 00-184: MS Word | Text ]

3/16/00
FCC adopts rules for retransmission consent nine months ahead of deadline: [ Order: MS Word | Acrobat | Text | News Release: HTML | Text ]

1/27/00
Order regarding enforcement procedures for retransmission consent complaints pursuant to SHVIA: [ Order: MS Word | Text | News Release: MS Word | Text ]

1/20/00
Notice of Proposed Rule Making on computer model predicting signal intensity to determine unserved households: [ NPRM: MS Word | Text | News Release: MS Word | Text ]

1/07/00
Notice of Proposed Rule Making for network nonduplication, syndicated program exclusivity and sports blackout rules to be applied to satellite carriers: [ NPRM: MS Word | Text | News Release: MS Word | Text ]

12/22/99
Notice of Proposed Rule Making on retransmission consent negotiations: [ NPRM: MS Word | Text | News Release: MS Word | Text ]

10/7/99
Order on Reconsideration: [ Order: WordPerfect | Text | News Release: MS Word | Text ]

2/1/99
Rulemaking: [ WordPerfect | Text | News Release & Statements ]

Related Laws/Other Government Resources

• Over-the-Air Reception Devices Fact Sheet
• U.S. Copyright Office
• U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration: [Home Page | Longley-Rice Irregular Terrain Model, Version 1.2.2]