U.S. House

House Passes Webcaster Settlement Act; Senate Vote Expected

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 29, 2008 - 10:03am.

Washington - The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Webcaster Settlement Act on Saturday, which would allow webcasters and copyright holders to continue to negotiate royalty payments for streaming music online after Congress suspends its routine business after this week for the elections. A Senate vote on the measure is expected today or yet this week.

U.S. House Approves 2008 Digital TV Transition; $990 Million Subsidy

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 27, 2005 - 4:40am.

Washington - The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday voted to approve a bill that sets Dec. 31, 2008 as the date for the U.S. digital TV transition, when broadcasters will give up their analog spectrum and begin broadcasting digital TV signals. The House bill includes $500 million for emergency communications services for local first responders. It also provides a $990 million subsidy to help consumers who can't afford the costly digital TV sets necessary to receive digital signals purchase a converter that allows their analog sets to receive digital TV, to be doled out in the form of $40 coupons by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunication Information Administration. About 21 million U.S. homes are estimated to rely on analog broadcast television signals, and existing law stipulates that broadcasters may not abandon analog broadcasts until at least 85% of a given market is equipped to receive digital TV. Several House Democrats criticized the House's subsidy as too small; the Senate's digital TV bill, passed last week, includes a $3 billion subsidy. The Senate bill also sets the transition date a bit later, on April 7, 2009. Differences between the House and Senate Committee bills will need to be worked out between lawmakers from both chambers before a full vote in Congress can take place.

tags: Digital TV Transition | U.S. House |

U.S. House Passes Bills on Video Voyeurism, Counterfeit Media Labels

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 22, 2004 - 3:41am.

Washington -- The U.S. House on Tuesday approved a bill that will criminalize "video voyeurism," or the practice of placing hidden cameras to capture the "private areas" of unsuspecting persons on video. "With the development of smaller cameras and the instantaneous distribution capability of the Internet, the issue of video voyeurism is a huge privacy concern," said House Judiciary chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.). The penalties include fines of up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison. A similar bill already won approval in the Senate. The House also passed a bill that will criminalize the sale of "counterfeit labels" on DVDs, CDs or computer applications.

tags: U.S. House | Video Voyeurism | Counterfeit Media Labels |