NY State Senator Grisanti Pushes for Cable Carriage Bill

New York State Senator Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo) continues to push for a new bill that would force cable program carriage impasses to the negotiating table.

That bill was prompted by the ongoing impasse between MSG Networks and Time Warner Cable that has blacked out Buffalo Sabres games to TWC customers since Jan. 1 after the two sides could not agree on a carriage deal. The bill, S. 6230, would require negotiations on fair terms between cable operators and programmers, and authorizes the public service commission to require arbitration of negotiations. The bill amends the public service law to "requiring franchisees to negotiate fairly to determine the terms and conditions under which competing independent cable channels will be carried by the franchisee and, in the event such agreement as to terms and conditions cannot be reached, provisions require the commission to conduct an arbitration of the matter."