The Honorable Ajit Pai 
Chairman 
<leongrcss of tbe mnttcb .$tates 
Mlashmgton, IDCC 20510 
October 16, 2017 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 121h St SW 
Washington, DC 20536 
Dear Chairman Pai: 
The Satellite Television Extension and Localism Reauthorization Act of 2014 (STELAR) 
recognized that every satellite television subscriber should have the opportunity to access their 
home state's television programming. As you know, STELAR authorized the Federal 
Communications Commission (Commission) to act swiftly to review and grant petitions for 
market modification that allow local broadcast statfons to reach local communities. With that in 
mind, we write in support of Monongalia County's and Preston County's market modification 
petitions (Docket No. 17-274 and 17-275) to allow in-state television broadcasts from 
Clarksburg-Weston,~est Virginia-based stations into these counties. Importantly, this market 
modification will provide residents of these counties with access to in-state television broadcasts 
that provide coverage of the ~t.ate capital and their communities. 
Monongalia County and Preston County are part of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Designated 
Market Area (DMA). As a result, satellite tefevision subscribers in these counties currently lack 
access to West Virginia programming, inclu~ing critical emergency information, the latest 
developments in state and local govemmentj and local weather and sports. The Communications 
Act requires particular attention to be affor)i'ed to whether market modification would "promote 
consumers' access to television broadcast station signals that originate in their State of 
\ 
residence." There may be few better examples demonstrating the need for market modification 
than that satellite subscribers in \Morgantown, the home of the West Virginia University 
Mountaineers, lack coverage o{their favorite Mountaineer teams. 
We therefore urge the Commission to work with the parties to grant the petitions expeditiously. 
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. 
United States Senator 
Sincerely, 
Moore Capito 
United States Senator 
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