Cable Transmission Deals Emerge As New Hill Battle

[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
Retransmission consent deals between broadcast television stations and cable operators are emerging as a new front in the battle on Capitol Hill to overhaul the nation's communications laws. The American Cable Association held a press conference calling for substantive changes to retransmission laws that have been in place for more than a decade. A 1992 cable law allows TV stations to elect either mandatory cable carriage known as "must carry" or retransmission, a negotiated agreement in exchange for carriage. The provisions were designed to enhance localism, the notion that communities should be served by locally broadcast stations available free to all viewers. But speakers asserted that broadcasters are taking advantage of retransmission consent to make excessive financial and programming demands from cable operators. They added that the competitive landscape has changed as satellite TV providers make increased inroads in rural areas without the same carriage obligations.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-VNYG1138737391067.html

* See NAB letter to Senate Commerce Committee highlighting the recent findings by the Federal Communications Commission in their September Report to Congress, "Retransmission Consent and Exclusivity Rules," in which the FCC concluded: "Our review of the record does not lead us to recommend any changes to the retransmission consent regime at this time."
http://www.nab.org/images/xertimages/corpcomm/pressrel/012706_DKR_to_Sen...

* Sen Stevens Sees Need To Address Cable Transmission Deals
[SOURCE: Dow Jones Newswires, AUTHOR: Maya Jackson Randall]
http://news.morningstar.com/news/DJ/M01/D31/200601311842DOWJONESDJONLINE...