Chenoweth Backs Bill To Help Fans Watch TV

Rep. Helen Chenoweth, R-Idaho, has teamed up with two Illinois Democrats to promote bills aimed at protecting the ability of fans to watch sporting events on television.

Chenoweth agreed last month to co-sponsor the Right to View Professional Sports Act of 1995 and the Taxpayers Right to View Act of 1995, written by Rep. William O. Lipinski, D-Ill.

Chenoweth said Tuesday that she could not recall why she opted to co-sponsor Lipinski’s bills. Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill., is the other sponsor.

The Right to View Professional Sports Act of 1995 would make it more economical for restaurants and sports bars to purchase professional sports programming from cable TV companies and professional teams, said Holly Gaudreau, a legislative assistant for Lipinski.

“There is a huge problem with piracy,” she said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C. “This legislation would prevent that by setting up a system where they could buy access through reasonable fees.