Just Like Old Times: Dingell, Markey in Charge

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES: DINGELL, MARKEY IN CHARGE
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: Kim McAvoy]
With the Democrats winning a majority of seats in the House, John Dingell and Ed Markey will set the agenda on telecom policy—a mixed bag for broadcasters. With Senate races in Virginia and Montana too close to call, the GOP is just barely clinging to Senate control. Republican broadcast ally Conrad Burns is behind in Montana. NAB President David Rehr told TVNEWSDAY in March that the association was backing Burns “150 percent” and would give an “all-out maximum effort” to help him win re-election. For TV broadcasters, Dingell-Markey would have its pluses. It could pave the way for a smoother DTV transition (more money for DTV converter boxes) and possibly lead to some type of multicast must-carry protection. “Barton and Barton’s staff were aggressively anti-multicast,” said NAB President David Rehr. “I think in a nutshell, Mr. Dingell would be more open than Mr. Barton has been.” However, broadcasters know from experience that regulatory-minded House Democrats would also want some type of enhanced public interest obligations as part of any multi-cast deal or for any other favors they do for broadcasters. Alan Frank, CEO of Post-Newsweek Stations and chairman of the NAB television board, is a Dingell constituent in Detroit and is looking forward to his restoration. “It is clear that if you are a good broadcaster, if you understand and take seriously your special responsibilities and obligations, which we do, then operating under John Dingell and Ed Markey [as chairman of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee] is a very positive experience.”
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2006/11/08/daily.1/

* Rehr: NAB Ready to Work with Democrats
The NAB president says neither his partisan past nor a slight GOP tilt to his government relations team will impair the association's effectiveness in the House now that the Democrats are in charge.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2006/11/08/daily.2/