WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The seemingly unending saga of legislation to let satellite television services carry local TV stations dragged on Tuesday, as the delay threatened to cut off programming seen by millions of satellite subscribers.
The bill, which would allow satellite TV firms to carry local channels from around the country and extend their expiring authority to carry network and superstation programs, remained caught in a fight between Texas Republican Phil Gramm and senators from rural states.
Negotiations continued Tuesday in attempt to resolve the deadlock.
If Congress adjourns for the year without completing the bill, satellite firms not only lose a new right to carry hundreds of local stations but on Dec. 31 will lose their current legal authority to carry network and superstation programming.
Senator Gramm has objected to a provision in the bill added by a conference committee of lawmakers from the House and Senate that would create a $1.25 billion program of government-backed loans to bring local stations to satellite subscribers in rural areas.
Leading satellite TV firms like Hughes Electronics Corp.'s (GMH.N) DirecTV and EchoStar Communications Corp. (DISH.O) say they will only be able to deliver local stations in the top 50 or 60 markets. The loan program is intended to help the companies, or others, extend local programming to far more of the 211 markets.
But Gramm, a formidable legislator and chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has called the loan program a "giveaway'' to successful companies and vowed to block the legislation.
Last week, lawmakers thought they had a compromise to remove the loan program for now and revive it next year. But rural senators led by South Dakota Democrat and minority leader Tom Daschle refused to go along and the compromise unravelled.
On Tuesday, senate staffers said a variety of options were under consideration, including adding the legislation to a massive budget package that ultimately cannot be blocked.
Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, a supporter of the loan program, took the Senate floor Tuesday and asked Senate leaders to call Gramm's bluff and bring the legislation forward.
Lacking the votes to defeat the measure outright, Gramm could then try to filibuster, a parliamentary maneuver that requires 60 votes to overcome.
Leahy said the Senate would easily support cloture, or the 60 vote move needed to end a filibuster.
"I would join with the majority leader if he wants to bring it up and instantly file cloture,'' Leahy said. ``I can get him the signatures for that in 20 seconds. I can guarantee him ... that he would get far more than the 60 votes necessary.''
Most aides remained confident Tuesday that some compromise would ultimately be reached.
"This really needs to be done,'' said one Congressional staffer, worried about the impact of television sets going black just in time for the annual New Year's football bowl games. ``They need their TVs. They aren't exactly going to the opera.''
advertisement
