Bakers Dozen Reps Rap Retrans

According to a copy of a "dear colleague" letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski asking him to open a rulemaking on retransmission consent reform, Reps Steve Israel (D-NY) and Peter King (R-NY) were able to secure 11 of their House colleagues' signatures.

In the letter, dated July 27, they said it was "time to "reexamine [the] rules governing retransmission consent and act to protect consumers." Cable operators have increasingly framed the issue in terms of consumers. The Obama administration has been positioning regulatory agencies as primarily in the consumer protection business.