Testimony of Curtis LeGeyt at House Communications Subcommittee Hearing on RAY BAUMS Act
Curtis LeGeyt
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- NAB Executive Vice President of Government Relations Curtis LeGeyt testified this afternoon at a House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing titled RAY BAUM'S Act: A Bipartisan Foundation for Bridging the Digital Divide.
Below is his testimony as prepared for delivery.
* * *
Good morning Chairmen Walden and Blackburn, Ranking Members Pallone and Doyle and members of the Subcommittee. My name is Curtis LeGeyt, and I am the executive vice president of Government Relations at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). On behalf of the thousands of free, local television and radio broadcasters in your hometowns, I appreciate the opportunity to testify on this Committee's successful passage of RAY BAUM'S Act. This bipartisan legislation ensures that broadcast television and radio stations can continue to serve their communities following the unprecedented repack of nearly 1,000 full power television stations across the country. Moreover, I am personally honored to speak to this legislative success, fittingly named after our beloved NAB colleague, distinguished public servant and friend to everyone he met, Ray Baum.
I am confident that everyone on this Committee - members and staff alike - have fond memories of Ray. Before he was the staff director of this committee, I was fortunate to have worked with Ray as a close colleague at the NAB. On the surface, Ray and I had many differences. We are of different generations, different faiths, and different political leanings. But none of that mattered to Ray. He was unwavering in his desire to seek out common ground with everyone he worked with, and his genuine love of life was disarming not only to myself and our other colleagues at NAB, but also to our adversaries in the policy space. Having seen those diplomatic abilities first hand, I have no doubt that his spirit and unrelenting desire to put aside differences in advancement of shared priorities enabled the bipartisan working relationships on this Committee that resulted in the passage of RAY BAUM'S Act. For that, broadcast viewers and listeners across the country are thankful.
RAY BAUM'S Act will help ensure that broadcast viewers and listeners can continue to access the stations on which they rely. Thanks to the Committee's inclusion of the Viewer Protection Act in the final law, $1 billion was provided to ensure that all impacted television and radio stations are eligible to have costs associated with this repack reimbursed by the FCC. Importantly, this legislation also funds FCC consumer education efforts as stations move channels, and includes the SANDy Act, so that local broadcasters can access critical resources to keep their facilities functioning during times of emergency. For all of this, I am here to say THANK YOU.
Now, as the FCC moves forward with a massively complex repack process, early warning signs suggest that viewers are at risk. In the first phase of the repack, which was completed two weeks ago, 79 stations successfully completed their moves on time. However, 11 broadcasters were unable to meet their move deadlines for reasons beyond their control, such as inclement weather and tower crew availability. We are gratified that the FCC granted each of these stations waivers and moved them into subsequent repack phases. In each of these cases though, these phase changes could be done without impacting future station moves. That will not be the case as the repack moves forward.
The Phase 2 deadline in April 2019 applies to 116 stations and is significantly more complex. While broadcasters will do everything possible to meet their deadlines, this Committee should ensure that the FCC applies a fair waiver standard that will not force a single station to go off the air or reduce coverage due to circumstances outside their control as Congress intended.
Beyond its policy improvements, the enduring lesson of RAY BAUM'S Act is that this Committee can lead and make meaningful differences when it works together on a bipartisan basis. In that spirit, there are two significant issues worthy of your ongoing consideration entering the next Congress. First, this Committee should ensure that existing users of C-band spectrum are fully protected and reimbursed should a portion of the spectrum be reallocated for mobile broadband use.
Second, this Committee should allow the expiring provisions of STELAR to finally sunset as Congress has long intended. This distant signal license is a subsidy for two of the largest pay-tv providers in the country, and incentivizes the satellite carriage of out-of-market rather than local broadcast stations. This practice runs contrary to Congress's long-stated broadcast policy preference that viewers are best served by their LOCAL broadcast stations, and it is no longer justified.
In conclusion, I would like to thank you again for allowing me to speak about the bipartisan success of RAY BAUM'S Act. As Ray would say, Thanks for coming out today! I look forward to answering your questions.
* * *
About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for Americas broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
Testimony of Curtis LeGeyt at House Communications Subcommittee Hearing on RAY BAUMS Act 
