473JEFF FLAKE ARIZONA SR-413 RUSSEU SENATE OFFICE BUILDING 
(202) 224-4521 
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS 
COMMITTEE ON 
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ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES WASHINGTON, DC 20510-0305 
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 
COMMITTEE ON AGING 
The Honorable Ajit Pai, Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th Street, SW 
Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Chainnan Pai: 
June 6, 2017 
STAT~ OFFICES 
2200 EAST CAMELBACK ROAD 
SUITE 120 
PHOENIX AZ !!5016 
(602) 840 1891 
5840 NORTH ORACLE ROAD 
SUITE 150 
TUCSON AZ 85704 
(5201 575-8633 
I write regarding the challenges faced by Saddlebrooke, Arizona concerning their Designated 
Market Area and available stations. 
Saddlebrooke is a retirement community of approximately I 0,000 people on the southern edge of 
Pinal County. Saddle brooke, and all of Pinal County, is in the Phoenix Designated Market Area. 
However, Saddlebrooke is a suburb of Tucson and only 20 miles south, while Phoenix is over 90 
miles north. Because of the geographic proximity, a number of residents in Saddlebrooke have 
expressed their desire to receive Tucson local stations from their satellite providers. 
It is my understanding that satellite companies determine a user's local stations through the 
Designated Market Area wherein a user resides. The Nielsen Corporation, not the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC), detennines Designated Market Areas under federal law. 
However, there is a process for communities to request a market modification through the FCC. 
It is my understanding that when a Market Modification petition is granted by the FCC, it applies 
to an entire community, and for satellite market modifications, a community is defined as a 
county. Most residents of Pinal County would not want to be included in the Tucson Designated 
Market Area because they reside in areas closer to Phoenix. 
As you know, the law allows for exceptions regarding the local stations provided to customers. 
This exception permits satellite carriers at their discretion to offer ''significantly viewed" stations 
from a community to their customers. In Saddlebrooke, two stations in Tucson are listed on the 
FCC's Significantly Viewed TV Stations List: KVOA and KTTU. A number of other local 
Tucson stations are unavailable because they are not considered to be "significantly viewed" in 
the community. Therefore, Saddlebrooke is not eligible to receive exceptions for other stations, 
regardless of a satellite company's willingness to provide them. 
In light of this, I ask: 
• Regarding the two Tucson stations listed on the FCC's Significantly Viewed TV Stations 
List, what are the steps necessary for satellite providers to offer these significantly 
viewed stations to subscribers? 
hltp'//www Flake.senale.gov 
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• Could a satellite provider offer Tucson stations in Saddlebrooke, even though they may 
not be on the Significantly Viewed Stations List? 
• ls the Market Modification process a viable option for the community of Saddlebrooke to 
pursue? 
• Are there other potential remedies available to Saddlebrooke residents who wish to 
receive local Tucson stations from their satellite providers? 
Thank you for your attention and prompt response to my request, in strict compliance with all 
ethical rules, regulations, and guidelines. 
U.S. Senator