FCC Denies Stay of Viewability/Dual Carriage Order

The Federal Communications Commission has denied broadcasters' request for a stay of the FCC's viewability/dual carriage decision that, starting in December, cable operators with hybrid analog/digital systems don't have to deliver must-carry TV stations in both formats. The FCC voted unanimously in June to lift that requirement. Broadcasters had been pushing the FCC to extend that requirement another three years, while cable operators said it was time to lift it and give them more capacity to offer other services consumers might want. Both sides were doing hefty lobbying in the run-up to the vote, but cable's arguments held sway in the final order.