Cities and counties that grant cable TV franchises currently have the power to approve or block the sale of those franchises to new owners. This bill would remove that approval authority, limiting local governments to receiving 15 days' written notice before a cable franchise transfer closes. The new buyer must agree to honor the existing franchise terms, but the community cannot use the sale as an opportunity to negotiate new conditions or reject the deal. The change takes effect six months after enactment and applies to existing franchises as well as future ones.
Corporate Benefits
- Local franchise-transfer approval requirement — Eliminated; franchising authorities limited to 15-day written notice before cable system sales close
Congressional Summary
Consumer Access to Broadband for Local Economies and Competition Act or the CABLE Competition ActThis bill prohibits state and local cable franchising authorities from precluding certain transactions involving the sale or transfer of a cable franchise.Providers of cable television service (cable operators) must generally obtain authorization (known as a franchise) from a state or local franchising authority in order to offer cable service in a given area. Under current law, a franchising authority may require a cable operator to obtain the authority’s approval before selling or transferring a franchise.Under the bill, a franchising authority may not preclude a cable operator from selling or transferring a franchise to a new owner who agrees to accept all terms applicable to the cable operator at the time of the transaction. However, a franchising authority may require a cable operator to notify the authority at least 15 days before such a transaction.The bill takes effect six months after it is enacted. Its provisions generally apply to franchises that (1) are granted on or after the effective date, or (2) were granted before the effective date and were in effect or operational on that date.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-08-08
- Date Added
- 2026-05-01
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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