FCC: Retransmission Framework Under Review

At the Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the proposed Comcast-NBC Universal merger, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski indicated that the FCC has been actively considering the retransmission consent framework since late December when a dispute between Fox and Time Warner Cable threatened some consumers access to college football bowl games.

He said a lot of consumers were concerned and wondered why they should be affected by the business dispute between the two companies. But he also said those companies have a right to engage in those transactions and negotiate the terms. He said the FCC is increasingly hearing arguments that the retrans framework in place "for a long time" may have "lost pace" with marketplace changes. He said the commission is beginning the process of reviewing whether there are improvements that can be made and "whether reforms are sensible."