John Eggerton

The Consumer Electronics Association is none too pleased with the National Association of Broadcasters' decision to sue the Federal Communications Commission over how the commission proposes to measure interference and station coverage areas for the broadcast incentive auction.

“It is discouraging to see the broadcast television industry reject the FCC’s carefully crafted compromises," said CEA President Gary Shapiro. "Litigating against the incentive auction undermines and delays innovation."

A half-dozen Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition members met with Federal Communications Commission staffers and came away impressed by the meetings and the prospects for a successful auction, according to an ex parte filing with the commission outlining the meeting, which focused on transparency.

"These meetings have further increased the confidence of our approximately 80 auction-eligible stations that the incentive auction will, in fact, present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to monetize our spectrum and, if we wish, continue our television operations through channel sharing," said the filing.

Network neutrality advocates are continuing to try and leverage recent open Internet comments by President Barack Obama in their efforts to get the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify Internet access under Title II.

Former FCC Chairman Michael Copps, now an advisor to Common Cause, and Free Press President Craig Arron have written the White House seeking a meeting with the President on the issue. In the letter, Copps and Aaron praised the comments, while expressing their concern about the FCC's proposal to use Sec. 706 broadband deployment authority to justify new Open Internet rules, rather than Title II.

Fox and CBS affiliates warn that the Federal Communications Commission could be in danger of balkanizing sports programming and driving it to "increasingly expensive pay cable networks.”

With FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler signaling the FCC is likely to vote by early fall to eliminate the sports blackout rule, broadcasters are working overtime in August to try and stem that tide.

In a letter to Chairman Tom wheeler dated Aug 12, the Fox and CBS TV affiliates said eliminating the rule would hurt fans, viewers, localism, and competition. CBS Affiliate Board Chairman Michael Fiorile and Fox Affiliate Board chairman Jeff Rosser echoed NFL arguments that eliminating the rule would "likely be the first step toward the total elimination of high quality sports -- like NFL football games -- off free TV and behind the cable paywall."

They also said eliminating the rule would also result in high prices for pay TV sports fans, and the migration of more big ticket sporting events to pay, which would impact the minority, elderly and low-income populations who are disproportionately over-the-air only TV viewers.

Reverend Jesse Jackson is the latest fan of the sports blackout rule to write Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler about keeping the rule.

Rev Jackson argues the issue is about backs and hands, not just eyeballs, and paychecks, and not just pay TV.

Broadcasters interested in putting their spectrum up for auction at the right price says that there is a potential issue with the way the Federal Communications Commission is calculating interference that could artificially decrease the value of stations and could lead to spending funds on relocating stations that might have been able to stay on their channel.

They are urging FCC to fix the problem before it creates problems for the issues.

Broadcasters not interested in selling are also concerned about the FCC's TVStudy software for calculating station interference as the FCC repacks stations into smaller space to make room for wireless broadband. In a filing at the FCC, the Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition, which represents 77 stations eyeing the auction, said the use of the TVStudy program was resulting in inconsistent results that could hurt both the incentive auction and station repacking after the auction.

T-Mobile has asked the Federal Communications Commission to reserve more low-band spectrum for companies competing with Verizon and AT&T for wireless spectrum in the upcoming broadcast incentive auction, arguing that the current system does not insure the four competitive carriers the FCC has signaled it would like to see.

It also wants the FCC to modify the revenue trigger for reserving that spectrum.

Some veteran fans of a la carte and retransmission reform are getting behind "Local Choice," a Senate Commerce Committee proposal to allow multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) subscribers to decide which TV stations they want to include in their tier of cable service.

That proposal would upend the retransmission negotiation process, turning cable operators into fee collectors for broadcasters, but eliminating the requirement that all cable operators deliver retransmission stations to all customers, and on the so-called "must buy" tier.

Dish, which is part of a coalition pushing for retransmission reforms to try to keep those fees in check, praised the plan as a part of the must-pass Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act legislation.

Parents Television Council President Tim Winter, while he conceded there would be more work to do on the a la carte front, said he sees Local Choice as a good start in ending blackouts and giving consumers more choice.

Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai will be joining House Communications Subcommittee member Rep Bob Latta (R-OH) during the latter's August visits back in the district.

Neither the House nor Senate are in session, with house members scheduled for district work weeks until Sept 8, when they are scheduled to get back to work in Washington.

According to Rep Latta's office, FCC Commissioner Pai will be in Toledo Aug 14 for a roundtable discussion on rural telecommunications as well as a tour of Buckeye Telesystem there. Commissioner Pai, who grew up in rural Kansas, has made rural telecom a signature issue of his tenure on the commission.

Broadcasters represented by TVFreedom.org aren't liking what they see in the retransmission consent revamp floated by the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee.

Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and ranking member Sen John Thune (R-SD) wanted to leave broadcasters and cable operators something to think about before the committee comes up with its version of the bill renewing the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA). That came in the form of a proposal to allow multichannel video programming distributors' subcribers to decide whether they want to pay the per-sub price for retransmission stations.

The proposal would essentially end retransmission negotiations between TV stations and cable ops, allowing viewers to decide which stations they wanted to have and pay for -- must carry stations would still have to be carried.