ACA to FCC: Preventing Blackouts Is Job One

The American Cable Association wants the Federal Communications Commission to act on retransmission consent reforms before most of its smaller cable op members have to start negotiating new three-year retrans deals starting in October of this year.

Key to those reforms, says ACA, is allowing cable operators to import out-of-market signals during retrans blackouts.

"It is axiomatic that MVPD subscribers should no longer be held hostage and subjected to broadcaster blackouts during retransmission consent negotiating impasses," ACA told the commission.

That came in comments to the FCC on further reforms of its retransmission consent rules. The FCC has already voted to prevent coordinated retransmission consent negotiations between top-four non-commonly owned TV stations in a market. ACA wants the FCC to prevent all third-party participation in retrans negotiations, including preventing a network from "interfering" with the ability of a station to grant out-of-market retransmission consent.