Stop Sports Blackouts Act

Senate Bill

S. 328

119th Congress

Stop Sports Blackouts Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 30, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Christopher S. Murphy

Senator

Democratic

CT

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Science, Technology, Communications

Summary

This bill requires cable and satellite providers to issue rebates to customers when programming blackouts occur due to retransmission fee disputes. When negotiations fail and subscribers lose access to channels they pay for, providers must compensate them for the affected period.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill requires cable and satellite providers to issue rebates to customers when programming blackouts occur due to retransmission fee disputes. When negotiations fail and subscribers lose access to channels they pay for, providers must compensate them for the affected period.

Last updated: 1/5/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Stop Sports Blackouts ActThis bill requires cable and satellite broadcast providers to issue rebates to customers who are denied access to video programming included in their subscription because of programming negotiations. Specifically, where a provider’s negotiations related to the retransmission or carriage of video programming result in the provider failing to offer access to programming included in a customer’s subscription, the customer must be issued a rebate for the affected period. The Federal Communications Commission is directed to issue rules to this effect, including to establish the appropriate amount for such a rebate.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires rebates when programming blackouts occur during negotiations
Covers cable and satellite broadcast providers
FCC directed to establish rebate amount rules
Protects subscribers during carriage disputes
Incentivizes faster resolution of programming negotiations

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Cable and satellite subscribers would receive automatic rebates when their provider blacks out channels during fee disputes with networks. This gives consumers financial protection and may pressure both sides to resolve disputes faster.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Science, Technology, Communications

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

328, 119th Congress (2025). "Stop Sports Blackouts Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-328