WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate introduced omnibus appropriations legislation, which includes provisions important to broadcasters and for which NAB supports swift passage. The statements below can be attributed to NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith.
In response to the inclusion of the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act in the omnibus legislation:
“NAB strongly supports the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act, which is narrowly tailored to deter large-scale copyright piracy while ensuring that legitimate licensees are not subject to potential prosecution. We thank Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) for his leadership on this issue and appreciate the bipartisan support of the bill’s cosponsors and House and Senate Judiciary Committee leaders.”
In response to the establishment of a five-year, $75 million COVID-19 vaccine public awareness campaign managed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) that lists television and radio first amongst eligible mediums and inclusion in the omnibus appropriations bill of report language encouraging government agencies to prioritize local media in spending on public awareness advertising campaigns:
"Policymakers recognize the important role of local broadcasters and other media in educating the public on issues of critical importance. We commend appropriators for supporting local journalism and including provisions that urge government agencies to prioritize local media when placing advertising for public education campaigns to effectively raise awareness of government services and convey vital information to the public, such as vaccine effectiveness and availability."
Also introduced today is coronavirus relief stimulus legislation, which includes provisions expanding eligibility for U.S. Small Business Administration loan access to struggling local newspapers and radio and television stations. NAB's statement about the inclusion of these provisions can be found here.
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