The FCC should consider more than simply the occurrences of...
The FCC should consider more than simply the occurrences of blackouts when assessing whether the retransmission consent marketplace is properly functioning, the Independent Telephone & Telecommunications Alliance wrote the agency. “Blackouts should not be a primary measure by which the…
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Commission determines whether there is a marketplace imbalance that requires regulatory intervention,” ITTA said. “Smaller and new entrant MVPDs cannot afford the prolonged blackouts that larger incumbent providers often experience,” it said, pointing to lengthy disputes between some broadcasters and distributors such as Time Warner Cable and Dish Network. “ITTA member companies could not withstand the subscriber defections and other harms that accompany these kinds of protracted disputes.” The commission should consider collecting retran fee data from broadcasters so it knows each market’s fees and ensures certain distributors aren’t charged discriminatory rates, ITTA said. The commission should also suspend the network non-duplication and syndicated programming exclusivity rules during “unresolved or unsuccessful retransmission consent negotiations,” it said.