Mediacom CEO Rocco Commisso asked Congress to pick...
Mediacom CEO Rocco Commisso asked Congress to pick a new FCC chairman who will change retransmission consent rules and fix “the broken video programming marketplace.” His letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and ranking member John Thune,…
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R-S.C., was posted online by the FCC Friday (http://bit.ly/17M32fe). Commisso criticized the commission’s “outdated” video rules for driving up the costs of video programming to distributors. “The owners of ‘must-have’ programming are immune from competition while cable, satellite and phone companies vigorously compete with each other,” said Commisso. “This allows programmers to play distributors against each other, driving up programming costs and, ultimately, consumer prices.” Commisso said the FCC had permitted the current retrans rules to continue despite his request that the agency back a price freeze. “The failure of the Commission to act on these matters of importance to consumers is unconscionable,” he said. Commisso urged the senators to appoint a new FCC chairman who will take action against programmers who interrupt service because of disputes with distributors. “The American public needs and deserves a Federal Communications Commission that is dedicated to protecting video service subscribers against the programmers’ anti-consumer practices.” said Commisso.