FCC approves Wisconsin broadcast petition to allow in-state signals to northern Wisconsin residents trying to access Packers games and Wisconsin news

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) celebrated good news from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week – the approval of Gray Television’s petition to provide in-state signals to northern Wisconsin residents trying to access Wisconsin local news, weather reports, and sports such as Green Bay Packers games.

Sen. Johnson has spent over two years advocating for this approval, and this week’s order of a market modification of the satellite television market is the first the FCC has granted.

“Bringing Packers games and other local programming to counties in Wisconsin has been a longtime priority of mine,” Sen. Johnson said. “In 2014, I successfully pushed to create a process to petition the FCC to allow satellite providers to carry in-state signals.  A few years later, after much behind-the-scenes work, the FCC received its first petition from a Wisconsin station – WSAW in Wausau.  I then repeatedly asked the FCC for swift action.  That action has finally come and I could not be more pleased.  This is a win for Wisconsin. Go, Pack!”    

Background:

• September 2014: Sen. Johnson pushed for and got a provision added to a video reform bill that created a process for Wisconsin broadcasters to petition the FCC to modify television markets in Wisconsin and allow satellite providers to carry in-state signals.
• December 2014: The video reform bill, the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization (STELAR), was signed into law.
• December 2015: Upon the conclusion of the FCC’s rulemaking to implement STELAR, Sen. Johnson wrote to the FCC calling on the agency to act on any Wisconsin station application seeking to provide in-state signals to Wisconsinites expeditiously.   
• March 2, 2016: Sen. Johnson got FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to commit to “expeditiously” moving on any filed petition by a Wisconsin broadcaster at a committee hearing.
• Sept. 7, 2016: Gray Television filed a petition with the FCC requesting a market modification to allow WSAW-TV to be carried  by satellite TV providers in Iron and Ashland counties – counties currently included in a Minnesota television market.
• Sept. 15, 2016: Sen. Johnson got FCC Chairman Wheeler to agree to act “as fast as humanly possible” on Gray Television’s petition.
• Sept. 16, 2016: One day after making this commitment to Sen. Johnson, the FCC put WSAW-TV’s petition out for public comment.  
• Sept. 27, 2016: Sen. Johnson filed a public comment with the FCC in support of Gray Television’s petition.
• Oct. 3, 2016: DirecTV sent a letter to Sen. Johnson in support of Gray Television’s petition, agreed to comply.

Impact:

• For DISH subscribers: the FCC concluded that Dish could carry WSAW-TV in both Ashland and Iron County.
• For AT&T/DirecTV subscribers: the FCC concluded that DirecTV can carry WSAW-TV in Iron County and in five ZIP codes in Ashland County.

According to the order, Sen. Johnson weighing in was a factor the FCC weighed in support of the order:

• Page 5: “We also received seven comments in support of the Petition, including from government officials who represent the affected area” 
• Page 17: “As the Commission noted in the STELAR Market Modification Report and Order, ‘local government and consumer comments in a market modification proceeding can help demonstrate a station’s nexus to the community at issue.’”