Press Release
FCC Falls Short on Retrans Rules
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- In its March open meeting on Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the issue of retransmission consent. The proposal concludes that the Commission lacks the authority to require parties to enter into arbitration, and instead seeks to clarify what constitutes “good faith” in negotiations over retransmission disputes between broadcasters and cable companies, which often leave consumers with blacked-out channels and higher bills.
Free Press Political Adviser Joel Kelsey made the following statement:
“While today's item addresses a problem that is an increasing burden on consumers, we had hoped they would go further.
“The FCC needs to do more to help consumers, instead of just helping the cable companies and broadcasters. This market is broken, and so-called good-faith bargaining does little to prevent subscribers from losing access to channels they are paying for when a dispute arises.”
Free Press Political Adviser Joel Kelsey made the following statement:
“While today's item addresses a problem that is an increasing burden on consumers, we had hoped they would go further.
“The FCC needs to do more to help consumers, instead of just helping the cable companies and broadcasters. This market is broken, and so-called good-faith bargaining does little to prevent subscribers from losing access to channels they are paying for when a dispute arises.”
