To require the Federal Communications Commission to report to Congress regarding the ownership and control of broadcast stations used to serve language minorities, and for other purposes.

January 4, 2005

Mr. MENENDEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

To require the Federal Communications Commission to report to Congress regarding the ownership and control of broadcast stations used to serve language minorities, and for other purposes.

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 `National Minority Media Opportunities Act'.

SEC. 2. BROADCAST OWNERSHIP.

(a) Review of License Transfer- Section 211(b) of the Telecommunications Authorization Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-538; 106 Stat. 3545) is amended by adding at the end the following: `Subsection (a) also applies to any person holding a broadcast license used primarily to serve a language minority. The hearing required by subsection (a) shall include record evidence, analysis, and Commission findings regarding the effects of the application on competition and diversity in the programming and distribution markets for the specific language minority at issue. For purposes of this subsection, the term `language minority' means persons who are American Indian, Asian American, Alaskan Natives, or of Spanish heritage.'.

(b) Broadcast Stations Serving Language Minorities- Section 202 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104; 110 Stat. 111) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(i) Report to Congress- Not later than January 1, 2006, the Commission shall, after notice and comment, report to Congress regarding the ownership and control of broadcast stations (including AM, FM, and television broadcast stations) used to serve language minorities. The Commission shall consider the effects, with respect to both competition and diversity concerns, of multiple ownership and undue concentration in the programming and distribution markets specific to a language minority. For purposes of this subsection, the term `language minority' means persons who are American Indian, Asian American, Alaskan Natives, or of Spanish heritage.'.

END