[opendtv] Re: News: ACA To Take Aim at FCC After Sinclair/Mediacom Retrans Deal
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2007 06:22:17 -0500
At 1:20 PM -0500 2/6/07, Tom Barry wrote:
From a selfish point of view I'd like to see retrans consent laws
changed such that after a few months of failed negotiations and no
HD NBC in my city the cable company would also be free to deal with
distant network sources.
It is annoying to think that a broadcaster whose distant signal I
can't receive anyway can have exclusive rights to choose to not
deliver in my area.
Likewise for the CW channel which has cut a deal for SD carriage as
a sub-channel with the local ABC broadcaster. If the HD channel is
available somewhere else the cable company should be able to
negotiate to carry it.
I realize there are precedents and rationales for all of this but it
still seems unnecessary restraint of trade to me and not really in
my interests as a consumer, voter, and taxpayer. We need to apply
some sort of use-it-or-lose it guidelines to network IP rights.
Did you ever think about the possibility that the cable and DBS
companies really are not upset about collecting these fees?
In the end they profit too, as they can take a little more profit
from each subscriber, each time they raise rates to cover "increased
programming costs."
This is just politics as usual. Ask any of these industries if they
would like to be deregulated...
Regards
Craig
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