JSA Extension Close To Becoming Law

A rider that would grandfather broadcast joint sales agreements for 10 years has been included in a massive federal funding bill that is expected to get a final nod from federal lawmakers as soon as week’s end, sources said.

The provision, which has already been vetted by key House and Senate leaders, would permit JSAs in effect as of March 31, 2014, to continue rather than having to unwind by the end of 2016 as the FCC had required.

The JSA protection rider, which was promoted by the National Association of Broadcasters, has been included in a compromise omnibus appropriations bill that is expected to be approved by Congress by Friday.

The omnibus bill provides funding for the federal government through Sept. 30, 2016.

“NAB applauds all of the hard work that went into including a joint sales agreement grandfathering provision in the proposed omnibus appropriations bill,” said Dennis Wharton, an NAB spokesman, in a statement.

“This provision would allow TV stations to better serve our viewers in smaller markets, and ensure that constituents in those communities continue to have access to numerous free, local programming options. We look forward to continuing to work on a bipartisan basis to address this important issue.”

The legislative fix is a particularly good news for the Nexstar Broadcasting and the Sinclair Broadcast Group. Both rely heavily of the joint sales agreements to operate multiple stations in markets.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler had no comment, according to a spokesman.