To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax credits for carriage of independent programmers by qualified distributors and multichannel video programming distributors.
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Aug 20, 2021
This bill allows a new tax credit for carriage of qualified independent programmers by eligible distributors and multichannel video programming distributors based on license fees and the number of subscribers. The bill defines eligible distributor as any person engaged in the trade or business of a qualified distributor or multichannel video programming distributor and any person engaged in the trade or business of being a virtual multichannel video programming distributor.
The term multchannel video programming distributor is defined in federal regulations as any entity engaged in the business of making available for purchase, by subscribers or customers, multiple channels of video programming. Such entities include, but are not limited to, a cable operator, a BRS/EBS provider, a direct broadcast satellite service, a television receive-only satellite program distributor, and a satellite master antenna television system operator, as well as buying groups or agents of all such entities.
The bill defines qualified independent programmer as a U.S.-based person engaged in the production, creation, or wholesale distribution of three or fewer television channels in which no multichannel video programming distributor, cable programmer, or broadcast network has attributable interest, and includes rural, women, socially disadvantaged, and minority-owned programmers.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 3, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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