Congress Must Repeal, Replace Retrans Consent Rules, Cable One SVP Says
Broadcasters will never quit their "blackmail-or-blackout strategy" that has resulted in soaring retransmission consent fees and endless carriage disruptions, Cable One Senior Vice President-Operations Charles McDonald said in a Morning Consult opinion piece Tuesday calling for reforms to the retrans…
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rules. McDonald said the retrans consent provisions of the 1992's Cable Act, while well intentioned, have "become a giant migraine headache for millions of consumers" due to the blackouts used to jack up retrans consent fees -- blackouts that usually come before marquee programming events. McDonald pointed to recent retrans consent loggerheads Cable One had with Northwest Broadcasting (see 1701030046) and what he called its "price-gouging demands." Northwest didn't comment. McDonald said the current retrans rules must be "repealed and replaced." McDonald didn't give suggestions for replacement but said blackouts are effective since multichannel video programming distributors "are barred by law from negotiating with stations in an adjacent market" and are required to buy local broadcasters before national cable networks. FCC watchers and insiders said the agency is unlikely to reform its retrans consent rules (see 1701180025).