Retrans: A Big Hole in Telecom Bill

RETRANS: A BIG HOLE IN TELECOM BILL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: James Gleason, American Cable Association]
The roughly 900 independent cable operators represented by the American Cable Association are encouraged by many of the provisions in the proposed Senate Telecommunications Bill, S. 2686. But its members will be even more encouraged if the Senate addresses problems caused by the unintended consequences of prior broadcast carriage legislation. The issue that has the most impact on a cable operator’s business — retransmission consent and the tying and bundling of content — is missing from this legislation. Through such tying and bundling, broadcast groups and media conglomerates have effectively taken over cable operators' video pipes by saying they'll withhold their signal, creating havoc for customers. By government fiat given to the broadcasters, customers are forced to pay for ever-increasing retransmission consent demands while also being forced to take cable networks they don't want, all for the right to receive free over-the-air TV. If the Senate does not address retransmission consent, then two things are a given: One, basic and expanded basic cable rates will rise and rise. Two, more and more unwanted, and often indecent, programming will be shoved onto consumers -- and they will be given no choice. The Senate bill is a good starting point. However, to ensure consumers in smaller markets and rural America receive the best in voice, video and data from cable, the Senate must tackle the issue of retransmission consent.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6336336.html?display=Opinion