A History Lesson on Retransmission

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission proceeding seeking comments for possible reform of its retransmission consent rules doesn't square with history as I remember it. For one thing, contrary to what the FCC suggests, broadcasters have tried to negotiate for fees since the retransmission law was passed in the early 1990s. The FCC also betrays some bias toward cable, raising questions about how current rules might work against small cable operators, but ignoring how small TV stations are affected.