Tweet

Don't Tread on Us, States Tell FCC’s Martin

National Conference of State Legislators: Leave Exclusive Contracts for Cable Service in Apartments, Condos to the Marketplace

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/23/2007 11:22:00 AM

The National Conference of State Legislators agrees with top cable company Comcast that the Federal Communications Commission should leave exclusive contracts for cable service in apartments and condos to the marketplace, saying that to ban them from Washington would impinge on the state sovereignty.

In a letter sent to FCC chairman Kevin Martin, Maryland state Sen. Delores Kelly (D-Baltimore County), chair of the communications committee for the NCSL, said an FCC ban on the contracts would be an "unwarranted presumption of state authority," adding that the group "respectfully requests that you refrain from adopting any administrative order."

She argued that a ban would be litigated for years in the federal courts, and that while the NCLS shared Martin's concern for competition in the video marketplace -- and was instrumental in pushing for state-level video-franchise reform that helped to open the marketplace to cable competitors -- any attempt to "pre-empt state treatment of existing contracts" would be unwelcome.

Comcast echoed those sentiments to the FCC, including sending the NCLS letter to commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, in a recent filing in the FCC's inquiry into those exclusive contracts.

Martin, at an Oct. 12 minority media conference in Washington, D.C., said he circulated an order to the other commissioners disallowing the exclusive contracts, which he said led to higher prices for subscribers and less choice in multichannel-video service, and which disproportionately affected minorities since 40% of African-American heads of household lived in apartments.

Tweet

Talkback

We would love your feedback!

Post a comment

» View All Talkback Threads

Related Content

• Topics
• Author
• Most Popular Pages

No related content found.

Also by this author

• AP Chief: DOJ Record Seizure Has Chilled Sources

• MMTC Says FCC Fees Can Be Barrier to Broadcast Diversity

• Leibowitz Lands at Davis Polk

• Sen. Cantwell Criticizes Gannett/Belo Deal

• Wheeler: Merger Reviews Should Be Fact-Specific

Also by John Eggerton

Most Popular Pages

No Top Articles

• Resource Center
• Browse Categories
• Browse Companies

Featured Company

• Digital Rapids

  

  Digital Rapids provides market-leading software and hardware solutions, technology and expertise for transforming live and on-demand video to reach wider audiences on the latest viewing platforms more efficiently, more effectively and more profitably. Empowering applications from..more

---

Most Recent Resources

• Modern Entertainment Guides & UIs: Data-Driven Gateways to Conten..
• The New Normal for Promoting Tune-in
• Achieving Operational Freedom in Digital Media Workflows