Bring Back Local Choice, Ritter Says
Ritter Communications has begun lobbying Congress to revive the broadcaster-reviled broadcast a la carte proposal known as Local Choice. The company, a member of NTCA, has customers in Arkansas and Tennessee. Vice President-External Affairs John Strode spoke in a two-minute…
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video touting Local Choice, as Ritter also asked customers to reach out to the Senate in support of such legislation. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., introduced the proposal this fall and initially tried to attach it to Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization. They ended those plans after broadcaster outrage. Thune wants to fight to enact Local Choice next year, he has said. “Since the price is hidden from you, [broadcasters] can charge higher and higher prices, and boy, do they,” Strode said of retransmission consent fees. Strode said TV blackouts are now “happening more and more frequently. ... We support a simple solution called Local Choice. … That kind of free market would be best for everybody.” Strode pointed out that Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mark Pryor, D-Ark., sits on a relevant committee of jurisdiction: “Let him and other lawmakers know that you’re a TV consumer and you’re for Local Choice.” The “Ritter On Your Side” website contains a form letter consumers can use, directed at the Senate and allowing consumers to say whether they are from Arkansas or Tennessee. “Congress should restrain abusive programming and retransmission consent practices and give my cable company the flexibility to offer a range of programming, allowing me to choose the tiers of services I want and not choose expensive channels I don’t watch or want, like expensive sports channels,” the form letter said. “Please join the fight to change outdated, unfair federal laws and regulations, and help me to stop these harmful programming tying and bundling practices. I urge Congress to begin rewriting communications laws immediately to better protect me, the consumer.” The form letter also urged lawmakers “to tell the FCC that you will hold it accountable for protecting consumers by finishing rulemakings on retransmission consent, media ownership and program access.” Ritter’s home page also prominently said TV consumers deserve Local Choice. Broadcasters argued forcefully that Local Choice would wreak havoc on their business models and unfairly singles out broadcasters.