Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2007

Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2007 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), notwithstanding any other provision of any Act, from having the authority to require broadcasters to present opposing viewpoints on controversial issues of public importance, commonly referred to as the Fairness Doctrine.

[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2905 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2905

 To prevent the Federal Communications Commission from repromulgating 
                         the fairness doctrine.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 28, 2007

 Mr. Pence (for himself, Mr. Walden of Oregon, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Blunt, 
  Mr. Hastert, Mr. Putnam, Mr. Cantor, Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Flake, Mr. 
 Aderholt, Mr. Akin, Mrs. Bachmann, Mr. Barrett of South Carolina, Mr. 
Barton of Texas, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mrs. Blackburn, Mrs. 
Bono, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Brady of Texas, Mr. Brown of South Carolina, Ms. 
 Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida, Mr. Burgess, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. 
 Buyer, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Camp of Michigan, Mr. Campbell of California, 
    Mr. Cannon, Mr. Carter, Mr. Cole of Oklahoma, Mr. Conaway, Mr. 
  Crenshaw, Mr. Culberson, Mr. Davis of Kentucky, Mr. David Davis of 
 Tennessee, Mr. Tom Davis of Virginia, Mr. Deal of Georgia, Mr. Mario 
  Diaz-Balart of Florida, Mr. Doolittle, Mrs. Drake, Mr. Duncan, Mr. 
   English of Pennsylvania, Mr. Everett, Ms. Fallin, Mr. Feeney, Mr. 
 Fortuno, Ms. Foxx, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, 
  Mr. Gingrey, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Goode, Mr. Goodlatte, Mr. Graves, Mr. 
Hastings of Washington, Mr. Herger, Mr. Hoekstra, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Issa, 
 Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas, Mr. Jordan of Ohio, Mr. Keller of Florida, 
 Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. Kingston, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Kline of Minnesota, Mr. 
  Kuhl of New York, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. Latham, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Daniel E. 
    Lungren of California, Mr. Mack, Mr. Marchant, Mr. McCarthy of 
 California, Mr. McCrery, Mr. McHenry, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Gary 
 G. Miller of California, Mrs. Musgrave, Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Neugebauer, 
  Mr. Paul, Mr. Pearce, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Poe, Mr. Price of Georgia, Mr. 
   Radanovich, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Royce, Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin, Mrs. 
Schmidt, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Shadegg, Mr. Shuster, Mr. 
  Simpson, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, Mr. Smith of Texas, Mr. Souder, Mr. 
Stearns, Mr. Terry, Mr. Tiahrt, Mr. Walberg, Mr. Weldon of Florida, Mr. 
Westmoreland, Mr. Whitfield, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, 
Mr. Wolf, Mr. Young of Alaska, and Mr. Upton) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prevent the Federal Communications Commission from repromulgating 
                         the fairness doctrine.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FAIRNESS DOCTRINE PROHIBITED.

    Title III of the Communications Act of 1934 is amended by inserting 
after section 303 (47 U.S.C. 303) the following new section:

``SEC. 303A. LIMITATION ON GENERAL POWERS: FAIRNESS DOCTRINE.

    ``Notwithstanding section 303 or any other provision of this Act or 
any other Act authorizing the Commission to prescribe rules, 
regulations, policies, doctrines, standards, or other requirements, the 
Commission shall not have the authority to prescribe any rule, 
regulation, policy, doctrine, standard, or other requirement that has 
the purpose or effect of reinstating or repromulgating (in whole or in 
part) the requirement that broadcasters present opposing viewpoints on 
controversial issues of public importance, commonly referred to as the 
`Fairness Doctrine', as repealed in General Fairness Doctrine 
Obligations of Broadcast Licensees, 50 Fed. Reg. 35418 (1985).''.
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