Broadcasters Counter Cable With Retransmission Letter

Broadcasters have countered the cable and satellite operators' letter to House and Senate Commerce Committees with one of their own.

While Time Warner, Cablevision and others asked Congress to review what they called a broken retransmission consent system, National Association of Broadcasters Chairman Paul Karpowicz said in a letter that Congress and the FCC have already reviewed the process and concluded that the playing field was level, that government should not dictate outcomes in free market negotiations, and that if there are problems, the FCC has the authority to address them via complaint of not bargaining in good faith. Karpowicz points out that no broadcaster has ever been found guilty of bad-faith bargaining. "The retransmission consent rules do not guarantee any compensation," he wrote. "Rather, the rules only provide an opportunity for the broadcaster to negotiate for
compensation for the use of its signal."