106-113 ) , and the most recent law, the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA). SHVERA was passed as Division J of Title IX of the FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act ( H.R. 4818 , P.L. 108-447 ) in December 2004. Under the law, only unserved households are eligible to receive distant network television signals via satellite. Broadcasters filed suit against those satellite television companies. In areas where local-into-local service was available, some had to choose between distant network signals or local-into-local.
In 2004, Congress passed the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act, SHVERA, as part of the FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4818, P.L. 108-447). Among its many provisions, the law modified subscriber eligibility for distant and local analog broadcast network television signals. Some satellite television subscribers had to choose between either local or distant broadcast network signals instead of receiving both. This report explains the provisions in SHVERA, and outlines subsequent court decisions involving direct broadcast satellite providers, including EchoStar Communications. It will be updated as necessary.