FCC Finds for AT&T in Retransmission Negotiation Complaint

The Federal Communications Commission has upheld an AT&T complaint against a number of TV station groups for failure to negotiate retransmission consent in good faith, a move pay-TV operators are hoping adds fuel to their argument for renewal of the satellite compulsory license law that includes that good faith mandate. The FCC didn't fine the stations, but left that big stick in sight, saying it reserved the right to take future enforcement actions, including potential fines or forfeitures (likely levied if the stations did not negotiate in good faith going forward). The complaints were filed June 2019 against Deerfield Media, GoCom Media, Howard Stirk Holdings, HSH, Mercury Broadcasting, MPS Media, KMTR Television, Second Generation of Iowa and Waitt Broadcasting, all of which the FCC says failed to meet its standard for good faith negotiation. All the groups were represented by Duane Lammers of Max Retrans, a past target of AT&T complaints.