Impact of Cable Ruling in Doubt

IMPACT OF CABLE RULING IN DOUBT
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Corey Boles corey.boles@dowjones.com]
The Federal Communications Commission this week is expected to ban exclusive contracts between cable-television providers and apartment-building owners. The move might be a victory for phone companies but could have little immediate impact on the marketplace. "This would clearly be a hit to cable, but the telcos still face significant hurdles in translating this regulatory win into increased market share," said Paul Gallant, an analyst at Stanford Group. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, cable's lobby group, has said it doesn't oppose the move for new contracts. But the group doesn't think it should be applied to existing contracts. Cable companies have argued that the agreements allow owners to negotiate lower cable rates for their tenants.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119369504172375459.html?mod=todays_us_page_one
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* FCC poised to ban exclusive cable TV contracts
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-cable30oct30,1,7495566.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business