New 'Go Pack Go Act' Gives 13 Wisconsin Counties a Choice on TV Signals, Changing Local Carriage Rules

If you live in one of the 13 counties in Wisconsin named in this bill—places like Douglas, St. Croix, or Washburn—your cable or satellite TV options for local channels might be about to change, and not just a little.

The Go Pack Go Act of 2025 is a very specific piece of legislation designed to give subscribers in these "covered counties" a new choice about which network affiliate signal they receive. Currently, your provider is generally required to carry the local network station based on your designated market. This bill lets you choose between your current local station, a signal from an adjacent market within Wisconsin, or both. The key here is the adjacent market option, which is defined as a network station whose community of license is in your state and whose market borders yours. This is a big deal because it allows providers to substitute one signal for another, potentially changing what local news, weather, and, yes, football coverage you receive.

The Consumer Choice Catch: Adjacent Signals Now Count as Local

For the busy person, this bill translates into one main thing: choice, but with regulatory strings attached. Say you live in a county that is technically in Market A, but you really prefer the news team or sports coverage from Market B, which is right next door. This bill allows your cable operator or satellite carrier to offer you Market B's signal instead of—or in addition to—Market A’s.

Crucially, the bill specifies that if you choose only the adjacent market signal (Market B), your provider has fulfilled its legal obligation to provide you with the local network station signal (Market A). This is a massive change. It essentially allows providers to bypass existing local signal requirements (like those in sections 338, 614, or 615 of the Communications Act) by offering the adjacent in-state signal. For cable operators, this adjacent signal is now automatically considered "significantly viewed" in that county, which cuts through a lot of regulatory red tape.

Regulatory Relief for Carriers: Who Benefits?

While this bill is framed around consumer choice, it offers significant regulatory relief to cable operators and especially satellite carriers.

For satellite carriers, the bill makes two key concessions: First, providing this adjacent-market signal won't jeopardize their status as a "qualified carrier." Second, these specific retransmissions won't count against the limits they currently face on the number of distant network signals they can carry. Essentially, the bill makes it easier and less complicated for carriers to offer the adjacent Wisconsin signal. The only caveat for satellite carriers is that the FCC must first determine that providing the signal is "technically feasible." This feasibility check is an important safeguard, but it also gives the Commission some discretion.

The Real-World Trade-Off: Local Stations vs. Choice

This is where the rubber meets the road. If you're a subscriber in one of these 13 counties, you might finally get the in-state news and weather you actually care about, rather than a signal from a market hours away or even out of state. That’s a clear win for consumer relevance.

However, there’s a flip side: the local network station currently serving that county could see a significant drop in its required viewership. If enough people opt for the adjacent market signal, the local station loses audience and, potentially, influence and advertising revenue. While the bill allows you to receive both signals, the provision that lets the provider fulfill its local carriage obligation by offering the alternative signal means that the required carriage of the original local station is now contingent on subscriber choice. This could weaken the mandated local service structure that ensures every community has access to its designated local media.