Press Release
Free Press Supports Senator Kerry's Call for an End to Fox-TWC Shenanigans
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Kerry (D. - Mass.) sent a letter Tuesday morning to FOX and Time Warner Cable urging the companies to place the interest of consumers at the forefront while finalizing negotiations to carry local programming.
As of Dec. 31, the agreement between the companies to carry FOX programming, called retransmission consent, will expire. Senator Kerry urges the companies to negotiate so that millions of Americans are not without local sports programming like the NFL playoffs in the new year.
In the letter, Senator Kerry states:
"I have sought to place the interests of consumers at the center of our work. If both parties conclude that the best alternative to a negotiated agreement is to have screens go dark for consumers, then they will have neglected the core interests of the millions of households that subscribe to Time Warner Cable in affected markets. As leaders of major companies that are FCC licensees and are obligated to serve the public interest, I hope and expect that you will resolve this matter consistent with those obligations."
Ben Scott, policy director of Free Press, made the following statement:
"Senator Kerry is right to blow the whistle on the spat between Fox and Time Warner. Too often, content and cable companies’ feud over who gets the biggest slice of an enormous profit pie without any regard for consumers. After years of unrelenting rate hikes, consumers shouldn’t have to cope with suddenly losing TV service of local sports programming on New Year’s Day because two corporate boardrooms decided to butt heads. These shenanigans expose serious hypocrisy in the industry.
"Broadcast networks complain about insufficient fees they receive from cable companies -- and yet they insist on bundling a pack of cable networks into the deal that consumers may not even want. Meanwhile, if cable networks were serious about reducing costs, they should publish a per-channel rate card for consumers and let subscribers opt-out of receiving and paying for the content they don’t want. We hope Senator Kerry’s intervention will serve as a reality check."
Read the full letter here: http://www.freepress.net/files/Sen_Kerry_Retrans_Letter.pdf
As of Dec. 31, the agreement between the companies to carry FOX programming, called retransmission consent, will expire. Senator Kerry urges the companies to negotiate so that millions of Americans are not without local sports programming like the NFL playoffs in the new year.
In the letter, Senator Kerry states:
"I have sought to place the interests of consumers at the center of our work. If both parties conclude that the best alternative to a negotiated agreement is to have screens go dark for consumers, then they will have neglected the core interests of the millions of households that subscribe to Time Warner Cable in affected markets. As leaders of major companies that are FCC licensees and are obligated to serve the public interest, I hope and expect that you will resolve this matter consistent with those obligations."
Ben Scott, policy director of Free Press, made the following statement:
"Senator Kerry is right to blow the whistle on the spat between Fox and Time Warner. Too often, content and cable companies’ feud over who gets the biggest slice of an enormous profit pie without any regard for consumers. After years of unrelenting rate hikes, consumers shouldn’t have to cope with suddenly losing TV service of local sports programming on New Year’s Day because two corporate boardrooms decided to butt heads. These shenanigans expose serious hypocrisy in the industry.
"Broadcast networks complain about insufficient fees they receive from cable companies -- and yet they insist on bundling a pack of cable networks into the deal that consumers may not even want. Meanwhile, if cable networks were serious about reducing costs, they should publish a per-channel rate card for consumers and let subscribers opt-out of receiving and paying for the content they don’t want. We hope Senator Kerry’s intervention will serve as a reality check."
Read the full letter here: http://www.freepress.net/files/Sen_Kerry_Retrans_Letter.pdf
