PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] · D–NY
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 14, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.10696 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-10-01 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would require the Federal Trade Commission to issue rules stopping paid video streaming services from offering or advertising subscriptions as ad-free and then adding ads during a protected period. Subscribers who chose an option represented as ad-free would be protected for one year from signup or the full contract length, whichever is longer.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall promulgate regulations under section 553 of title 5, United States Code, that— (1) prohibit a provider of a video streaming service from offering or advertising services as not including advertisements and, within one year of the initial subscription date or the total length of the contract (whichever is longer), adding advertisements to the service for any subscriber who enrolled in an option that purported to not include advertisements;
the term video streaming service means an entity that makes available through a paid subscription directly to the end user through a distribution method that uses internet protocol to show media directly to viewers
Section 1 would name the legislation the Ad-Free Means Ad-Free Act.
This Act may be cited as the Ad-Free Means Ad-Free Act.
The Federal Trade Commission would have to issue the required regulations within one year after enactment, following the federal rulemaking procedure referenced in the bill.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall promulgate regulations under section 553 of title 5, United States Code
If a protected subscriber canceled and subscribed again, the rules would prohibit adding ads for one year from re-enrollment or the full contract length, whichever is longer.
if such a subscriber cancels and re-enrolls in such a subscription, prohibit such a provider from adding advertisements to the relevant service within one year of the re-enrollment date or the total length of the contract (whichever is longer).
A streaming provider could not avoid the prohibition merely because a consumer obtained its service through a third party.
Nothing in this section may be construed as excluding a provider of video streaming services from the prohibition described under subsection (a) because the services are offered to a consumer through a third party.
The bill defines covered video streaming services as entities that provide video programming or video content through paid subscriptions using internet-based delivery directly to viewers.
In this section, the term video streaming service means an entity that makes available through a paid subscription directly to the end user through a distribution method that uses internet protocol to show media directly to viewers that is— (1) video programming; or (2) video content the entity makes available for users to view.
Violations would be treated as violations of Federal Trade Commission rules against unfair or deceptive practices. The Commission would enforce the requirements using its existing statutory authority, and violators would face the penalties and receive the legal protections available under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
A violation of subsection (a) or a regulation promulgated under such subsection shall be treated as a violation of a regulation under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)) regarding unfair or deceptive acts or practices.
The Federal Trade Commission shall enforce subsection (a) and any regulation promulgated under such subsection in the same manner, by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and made a part of this Act.
Any person who violates such subsection or a regulation promulgated under such subsection shall be subject to the penalties and entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in the Federal Trade Commission Act.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 14, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on October 1, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-14T18:59:40Z. 2026-10-01: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2026-10-01: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-10-01. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the supplied complete introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the supplied complete introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment was identified in the supplied complete introduced text. Protection of the policy's intended subscriber population does not itself constitute a targeted benefit. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 14, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI