The Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 (also known as the 1992 Cable Act) is a United States federal law which required cable television systems to carry most local broadcast television channels and prohibited cable operators from charging local broadcasters to carry their signal.

In adopting the 1992 Cable Act, Congress stated that it wanted to promote the availability of diverse views and information, to rely on the marketplace to the maximum extent possible to achieve that availability, to ensure cable operators continue to expand their capacity and program offerings, to ensure cable operators do not have undue market power, and to ensure consumer interests are protected in the receipt of cable service. The Federal Communications Commission adopted regulations to implement the Act and its goals.

The Legislation was passed by the 102nd United States Congress and sponsored by Senator John C. Danforth from Missouri. The act was first introduced to the Senate on January 14, 1991. The United States House of Representatives passed the bill on September 17, 1992 (voting 280–128), and the United States Senate passed it on September 22, 1992 (voting 74–25). It was vetoed by President George H. W. Bush on October 3, 1992. After the veto of the President, it again passed Senate over veto on October 5, 1992 (voting 74–25) and on the same day, it passed the House as well (voting 308–114). The Act became a Public Law No: 102-385 on October 5, 1992; it was the only veto override under Bush.

The Communications Act of 1934 was first amended in October 1984 by the U.S. Congress' Cable Communications Act of 1984. The general purpose of Cable Communications Act of 1984 was to define jurisdictional boundaries for regulating cable television systems among federal, state and local authorities.

After 1984 Act had been enacted, the failure to balance the unequal growth within provider and subscriber has become problematic. While there was an increase in the number of households subscribing to cable television system and channel capacity of cable systems, the competition among distributors of cable services held back. The rates for cable services increased excessively, surpassing inflation. As a result, the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 had been enacted by the U.S. Congress. The Act had the goal to restore Federal regulation of the cable television industry and respond to complaints about poor cable service and high rates.

The chairman of the House Telecommunications and Finance subcommittee and Democrat of Massachusetts Representative Edward J. Markey said "This is a pro-consumer, pro-competition bill designed to rein in the renegades in the cable industry who are gouging consumers with repeated rate increases".

The Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 addressed various areas such as ensuring the growth of cable operators under effective competition, expanding the diversity of view and information through increased availability of cable television to the public, and protecting the interests of video programmers and consumers.

In order to promote competition among cable services, the act restrained federal agencies or states from regulating the rates for the provision of cable service. In the legislature, when describing competition among cable providers, the term "effective" was used and defined. The term "effective competition" meant that a fewer than 30 percent of the households in the franchise area subscribe to the cable service of a cable system. The rate regulation were to take effect 180 days after the date of enactment, and the Federal Communications Commission could prescribe regulations on the day of enactment.