House File 2656 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2656 BY SCHOLTEN A BILL FOR An Act relating to professional sporting league broadcasting 1 blackouts. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 6071YH (5) 90 nls/ko

H.F. 2656 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 477A.13 Professional sports league 1 —— broadcasting blackout prohibition. 2 1. For purposes of this section, “blackout” means the 3 nonairing of a cable, video, or satellite professional sporting 4 league event broadcast on a local broadcast station. 5 2. For purposes of this section, “sports broadcasting 6 entity” means and includes all of the following: 7 a. An internet-based streaming platform that allows for the 8 live viewing of professional sporting league event broadcasts. 9 b. A person providing cable service or video service in this 10 state. 11 3. For purposes of this section, “professional sporting 12 league” means and includes the national football league, 13 major league baseball, national hockey league, and national 14 basketball association. 15 4. A sports broadcasting entity shall be prohibited from 16 preventing professional sporting league event broadcasting 17 through a blackout to paying customers of the sports 18 broadcasting entity, unless the professional sports team 19 seeking the blackout plays at least one game in the state of 20 Iowa during the season in which the professional sports team 21 is seeking the blackout. 22 EXPLANATION 23 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 24 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 25 This bill relates to professional sporting league 26 broadcasting blackouts. 27 The bill defines “blackout” to mean the nonairing of a cable, 28 video, or satellite professional sporting league event that 29 is broadcast on a local broadcast station. The bill defines 30 “sports broadcasting entity” to mean and include specified 31 internet-based streaming platforms and a person providing 32 cable service or video service in Iowa. The bill prohibits 33 a sports broadcasting entity from preventing professional 34 sporting league event broadcasting through a blackout to paying 35 -1- LSB 6071YH (5) 90 nls/ko 1/ 2

H.F. 2656 customers, unless the professional sporting league team seeking 1 the blackout plays at least one game in the state of Iowa 2 during the season in which the professional sporting league 3 team is seeking the blackout. 4 -2- LSB 6071YH (5) 90 nls/ko 2/ 2