releases: https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/greg-walden-holds-hearing-protecting-rural-television-service
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/greg-walden-holds-hearing-protecting-rural-television-service | Greg Walden holds hearing on protecting rural television service | 2014-07-24 | 2014 | 2014-07 | Republican | House | OR | Greg Walden | W000791 | walden.house.gov | legacy | Greg Walden holds hearing on protecting rural television service Click here to watch Walden's opening statement at the hearing WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), held a hearing today on a proposal to protect low power television (LPTV) stations and television translators that serve rural communities. The LPTV and Translator Act of 2014 would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to consider the benefits of LPTV and translators, and to help ensure that the rights of LPTV and translators are protected in an upcoming auction of broadcast spectrum. Low-power stations and translators play an important role in delivering local programming to rural areas like eastern Oregon. At our hearing today, members of Congress from both parties expressed concern about protecting these important stations. I have long urged the FCC to keep their value to local communities in mind when conducting the upcoming spectrum auction. This common-sense bill would put that sentiment into law, as well as allow LPTV and translator licensees additional opportunities to petition the FCC to stay on the air after the auction process is complete, Walden said. Low-power television licensees operate broadcast stations that operate at a lower transmit power and serve smaller service areas than fullpower stations. LPTV stations often offer programming designed for a specific group of viewers, such as religious groups, academic communities, and ethnic minorities. Examples in Oregon include KDOV in Medford and KBNZ in Bend. Translators generally operate at full power and are used to extend the reach of an existing broadcast signal. While translators are used across the country, they are most popular in the Mountain West, where terrain presents unique challenges for over-the-air reception. For example, the Blue Mountain Translator District brings over the air television to residents of Union and Baker Counties. Louis Libin, the executive director of the Advanced Television Broadcast Alliance, testified before the subcommittee today to underscore the importance of these secondary stations. More than 2,000 LPTV stations and more than 3,000 translators provide television service to tens of millions of Americans. In many places, these stations are the only broadcast television service available, and in many other cases, they provide communities their only access to the affiliates of major broadcast networks. Many translators were built and are operated by local communities to ensure that those communities have access to broadcast television, Libin said. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |