Affiliate Associations Warn Legislators Against Allowing Imported Signals from In-State, Distant Markets

The heads of the NBC and CBS affiliate associations wrote top legislators Monday to warn against allowing cable and satellite operators to import TV station signals from in-state, distant, markets, which they say could "threaten the viability of local news, weather and sports" and tip the retransmission consent negotiation balance toward cable in some places. As part of its consideration of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA), Congress is also considering modifying the distant signal rules to allow satellite, and potentially cable, to import signals from adjacent markets in certain cases, including so-called "split markets" where the market crosses state lines and viewers in part of the market are getting stations from the neighboring state. Broadcasters argue that cable operators can already negotiate for carriage of the local news and sports on adjacent-market stations to rectify that problem, but that changing the law to allow them to import network and syndicated programming duplicates programming already in the market.