FCC Asks Fox and Cablevision to Defend Negotiations

The Federal Communications Commission has asked both Cablevision and Fox to explain -- by Monday, Oct. 25 -- how their negotiations square with the law that requires them to be "in good faith."

The FCC also wants each side to provide any evidence against the other side if they have it. In a letter to News Corp. President Chase Carey and Cablevision President James Dolan, FCC Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake said that the FCC has defined good faith bargaining as "conducted in an atmosphere of honesty, purpose and clarity of process." Lake wants each to describe how they are satisfying that requirement in the context of their retransmission consent battle. "In particular, we request that you describe with specificity what has transpired since you initially began your negotiations, and detail the efforts your company is making to end the current impasse. "As you know," he concluded, "your contract dispute extends beyond just Fox and Cablevision. Indeed, it affects millions of innocent consumers who expect to watch their preferred broadcast programming without interruption. We urge you to place the interests of these consumers first and conclude your negotiations promptly."