{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/releases?ContentRecord_id=a3150847-93b7-4cd2-8e12-034161a4aff6", "Hatch, Tester to FCC: Protect Television Reception Across Rural America", "2013-11-14", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "UT", "Orrin Hatch", "H000338", "www.hatch.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) prepares\u00a0for the\u00a0sell-off of television broadcast\u00a0airwaves\u00a0nationwide, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) are making sure rural, over-the-air TV signals remain strong.\r\nThe FCC\u2019s upcoming voluntary broadcast \u201cspectrum\u201d auction\u00a0will\u00a0re-package\u00a0the frequencies\u00a0used\u00a0by cell\u00a0phones companies and television broadcasters to expand mobile broadband services and develop better public safety networks.\u00a0\u00a0But\u00a0if the re-packing of\u00a0the nation\u2019s airwaves is\u00a0not done carefully, rural Americans who rely on\u00a0relay stations \u2013 known as\u00a0translators\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and\u00a0low-power stations to\u00a0send\u00a0broadcast signals to their homes could face reception problems.\r\nHatch and Tester,\u00a0both supporters of the auction, want\u00a0FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to ensure that\u00a0the sale of\u00a0television airwaves\u00a0will not worsen broadcast quality for millions of rural viewers who depend upon translators and smaller stations for local news and public safety information.\r\n\u201cAcross our vast prairies and mountain ranges, our constituents rely on over-the-air television to access vital news programming,\u00a0weather updates, emergency announcements and educational and entertainment content,\u201d\u00a0Tester, Hatch and a group of Senators told\u00a0Wheeler in a letter.\u00a0 \u201cWhile we recognize that the repacking process will inevitably lead to changes for translators and low-power television stations, we urge the FCC to ensure that access to quality over-the-air television is preserved.\u201d\r\nTester and Hatch are joined by Max Baucus (D-Mont.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.),\u00a0Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.),\u00a0Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Mark Udall (D-Colo.).\r\nThe letter Hatch and Tester led to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is available\u00a0HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/releases?ContentRecord_id=a3150847-93b7-4cd2-8e12-034161a4aff6"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.8143776580691338, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}