New Telco Rules Would Get 4-Year Review

[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Broadcasters had their own problems with the draft bill discussed at the Wednesday House Commerce Committee hearing. James Yager, CEO of Barrington Broadcasting and representing the National Association of Broadcasters, was particularly troubled by a provision that the FCC could review and roll back any new rules every four years. While the idea behind that is to allow the rules to better keep up with the technology, Yager asked, "Why do laws like must-carry, that Congress enacted in 1992, that have been reaffirmed not once but twice by the Supreme Court, and that have benefited millions of viewers suddenly need to be defended every four years?" He said that would "only inject uncertainty into the market and unduly harm viewers." Yager argued for applying must-carry/retransmission consent model to telcos and other new multichannel providers. "As Congress develops the ground rules for I-P video, the policies that promote localism today should also govern the relationship between broadcasters and video over broadband providers." Ranking Commerce Committee member John Dingell (D-MI) was not happy with some provisions in the bill including making the rules revocable by the FCC, and what he saw as changes to basic video carriage requirements. "Requirements that are statutory today -- including must carry, retransmission consent, program access, closed captioning, and consumer electronics compatibility and retail availability -- are relegated under the draft bill to waivable FCC regulations subject to a four-year review that could result in their elimination," he said. "Does this Committee intend to cede its judgment over television policy to the whims of the FCC?"
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6282830?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)