Fix broken broadcast retransmission consent system

[Commentary] Few things are more frustrating to a former Congressman than to see a law he sponsored twisted in a way that undermines its intended purposes. Unfortunately, this is precisely what has happened during the last few years with the 1992 Cable Act, and in particular, with the provisions I sponsored dealing with "retransmission consent."

Our goal was to ensure that the public would retain access to local broadcast programming as cable television gained in power and influence. But today, more than ever, broadcasters are using these provisions to claim that the Act gives them license to pull their signals from video providers and their subscribers unless these providers agree to pay rapidly rising fees. In essence, broadcasters are exploiting a law designed to prevent consumers from experiencing service disruptions to justify blackouts. The system is broken, but it isn't beyond repair. I urge policymakers at the FCC to take action, and soon, to ensure that the retransmission consent system promotes the goals it was intended to serve.

[Fields represented the 8th Congressional District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1980 to 1997 and was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance during part of that tenure, from 1995-1997. He is a consultant to the pay TV industry and lobbies on retransmission consent.]