Statewide satellite carriage of Wyoming PBS.

WORKING DRAFT
2008
STATE OF
WYOMING
08LSO-0367

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
NO.
HJ0006

Statewide
s
atellite
c
arriage of Wyoming PBS
.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Illoway and Senator(s) Bebout

A Bill

for

A JOINT RESOLUTION requesting Congress to
amend the Satellite Home Viewers Improvement Act
.

WHEREAS,

Wyoming PBS, also known as KCWC-TV or Wyoming Public Television
, provides the citizens of Wyoming a vital source of noncommercial, educational and public affairs programming and services, with content that is consistently of the highest qu
ality to be found on television.
Wyoming PBS is a local institution that provides content and services tailored to meet
Wyoming
community needs and Wyoming PBS represents one of the last locally-owned and controlled media outlets in many of our
Wyoming

communities.

F
or all these reasons, Wyoming PBS should be accessible to as many
Wyoming
citizens as possible;
and

WHEREAS,

Wyoming PBS is the only television station offering the citizens of Wyoming in depth, locally produced programs that connect Wyoming people with information through programs on Wyoming
'
s public affairs, the legislature, history, arts and culture
, including
"
Wyoming Voices
,
"

"
Washakie: Last Chief of the Shoshones
,
"

"
Capitol Outlook
,
"

"
Main Street, Wyoming
,
"

"
Wyoming Performances
"
and
"
Wyoming Perspectives
"
; and

WHEREAS,

Wyoming PBS also provides an invaluable, unduplicated service to the Wyoming community through educational opportunities with its Ready to Learn literacy workshops for ea
rly childhood service providers. Wyoming PBS provides
G
eneral
E
ducational
D
evelopment
on
television
, telecourses offered for college credit in conjunction with
the state
'
s community colleges,
television and digital media classes for C
entral Wyoming College students

and
hands-on, live television production experience for high school media students throughout the state; and

WHEREAS,

the
Satell
ite Home Viewer Improvement Act
, passed by Congress in 1999, was intended to require satellite providers to provide
"
local
"
service
to their customers. T
o the contrary, it distorted the interpreta
tion of
"
local
"
service
and
resulted in declining access by
Wyoming
people to Wyoming PBS. T
he
a
ct designates that
"
local service
"
by satellite will be determined by Nielsen Designated Market Areas
. This designation
prohibits satellite providers from providing Wyoming PBS to the
following
counties in
Wyoming
:
Albany
, Big Horn,
Campbell
, Carbon, Crook,
Goshen
, Johnson,
Laramie
,
Lincoln
, Niobrara, Park, Platte,
Sheridan
, Sublette, Sweetwater, T
eton, Uinta and Weston. These counties do not receive Wyoming PBS because they
are included in Nielsen DMA
'
s locate
d in neighboring states
.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF
WYOMING
:

Section 1.
That Congress is urged to pass and vote for an
amendment to the
Satelli
te Home Viewers Improvement Act
which would allow sat
ellite carriers to offer Wyoming
PBS service as a
"
local
"
signal to any satellite viewer residing in the state of Wyoming
,
regardless of their Nielsen Designated Market Area.

Section 2.
That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress and to the Wyoming Congressional Delegation.

(END)

1
HJ0006