Several cable, satellite and phone companies said the FCC should ...
Several cable, satellite and phone companies said the FCC should reject an exemption letting cable operators withhold their programming from competitors when channels aren’t distributed by satellite. The FCC should “endorse closing the terrestrial loophole,” said an ex parte…
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filing about meetings Wednesday and Thursday between officials from AT&T, DirecTV, Embarq, RCN, and USTelecom and aides to Chairman Kevin Martin and Commissioners Michael Copps and Deborah Tate. The companies belong to the Coalition for Competitive Access to Content. Commissioners are weighing a rulemaking notice from Martin asking whether the FCC can eliminate that exemption, and about unbundling of some broadcast and cable programming, FCC officials said. The notice could be issued with an order on circulation to extend a ban on exclusive carriage deals between cable operators and satellite-distributed channels they control (CD Aug 24 p2). At last week’s meetings, the pay-TV companies again urged extending the exclusivity ban, the ex parte said.