Broadcasters want Dish, DirecTV and Mediacom branded as retrans “bad actors”

Singling out recent disputes involving Dish, Mediacom Communications and DirecTV, the National Association of Broadcasters, in a meeting with Commissioner Ajit Pai of the Federal Communications Commission's office, suggested the FCC should apply a “bad actor factor” when the FCC considers a good faith complaint.

The rhetorical jabs between broadcasters and cable operators have escalated since the FCC opened up a Congressionally-mandated rulemaking to review the “totality of circumstances” used to determine if both sides are acting in good faith. Just a month ago, the NAB warned the FCC that cable would “manufacture a crisis” to get an edge in the current review. “Since we filed that warning , there have been several impasses or near impasses involving the usual cast of characters -- mostly notably DISH, DirecTV, and Mediacom,” wrote the NAB’s Rick Kaplan in an ex parte filed with the FCC Aug 25.