FCC eyes program access for new video entrants

FCC EYES PROGRAM ACCESS FOR NEW ENTRANTS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Tuesday that the Commission should encourage competition for TV viewers by ensuring that telephone companies entering the business can buy access to programming. Verizon on Tuesday asked the FCC for help in securing popular sports programming from Cablevision Systems subsidiary Rainbow Media Holdings. Rainbow Media controls the Madison Square Garden Network, Fox Sports New York and Fox Sports New England. Chairman Martin declined to comment on Verizon's complaint that Rainbow was refusing to negotiate access terms, but did say access to programming was vital to competition. "Certainly having access to content is another very important part of being able to have another competitor in video space," Martin said at a conference of telecommunications providers. "I think trying to make sure that we're doing all we can to increase competition for the people trying to deliver consumers television services is critical," he said. "The commission will continue to work on that." The FCC chairman also said on Tuesday he hoped the FCC would act this year to review whether cities and towns are unnecessarily delaying or blocking new video providers from obtaining the necessary licenses to offer service, known as franchises.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story...

* Verizon Files FCC Complaint Against Cablevision
Verizon has filed a program access complaint with the FCC to try and force Cablevision to negotiate a carriage agreement so that Verizon's FiOS TV multichannel video service can carry what it says are various Cablevision-controlled sports channels in New York and New England.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6317390?display=Breaking+News