Satellite Home Viewer Reauthorization Act

The Satellite Home Viewer Reauthorization Act of 2009 is a bill with intentions to extend the statutory license for secondary transmissions under title 17 of the United States Code, and for other purposes. On December 3, the House of Representatives passed by a vote of 394-11 the Satellite Home Viewer Reauthorization Act of 2009 H.R. 3570. The bill combines the House Commerce and Judiciary versions and reauthorizes the satellite compulsory license for carriage of distant network affiliate TV station signals for another five years, a license that expires at the end of the year unless a new bill, or a stopgap extension, is passed. It also deals with cable carriage and various copyright issues, including an audit process for copyright owners to ensure they receive the royalties they are entitled to, stiffer penalties for infringement and clarification that copyright owners' royalties apply to digital multicast streams carried by satellite. The bill must now either be reconciled with two different Senate versions, or the Senate could vote to approve the House version. If nothing is done, the satellite license to carry distant TV network signals expires at the end of 2010.