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Comcast: No-Show In Retrans Push

The New York Times, Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:36 PM

Most of the big TV providers have signed on to a petition asking the government to revamp station retransmission rules, such as Cablevision, Charter, DirecTV, Dish Network, Time Warner Cable. But the nation's biggest cable company, Comcast, was missing. Comcast is in an odd position because it is buying a majority stake in NBC Universal, which owns the NBC broadcast network, an will benefit from retrans fees soon.

The providers that signed the petition said they were trying to prevent the ABC-Cablevision battle just before the Oscars. They are asking the FCC to let the government step in more firmly during retransmission disputes, using a tool like mandatory arbitration or an "expert tribunal." They also want the agency to require stations to keep sending a signal as long as the provider "continues to negotiate in good faith."

Read the whole story at The New York Times »

regulation, television

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