EchoStar and DirecTV Dispute Affiliates' Concerns Regarding SHVERA

EchoStar and DirecTV are circulating to members of the House Commerce and Judiciary Committees a three-page point-by-point response to broadcast affiliates' concerns about importing local stations into markets that straddle state lines. The satellite companies ask the legislators to "Support TV Choice" and not to let broadcasters "continue to hold TV viewers hostage." DirecTV and Echostar identify what they say are broadcaster myths, including that consumers have a choice of local channels, that blacking out network programming is a solution, that broadcasters will be driven out of business, that they would lose retransmission consent bargaining leverage, that the current Nielsen DMA system makes sense, and that local markets make geographic sense. Instead, they argue, consumers must "take what they are given," blacked-out channels are not consumer friendly, local broadcasters would get more retrans compensation, broadcasters would retain their "advantageous" bargaining position, and many consumers live nearer to a neighboring market.