FCC Denies Comcast Stay Request

Having assumed that was coming, cable op has asked federal appeals court for stay

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/9/2012 7:22:51 PM

According to the Tennis Channel, the FCC has denied Comcast's request for a stay of the commission's program carriage decision against the cable operator.

That came as no surprise to Comcast, which has already petitioned a federal court to stay the decision assuming it would not be good news from the FCC.

"For the fifth time since Tennis Channel filed its carriage complaint in January 2010, the FCC has again ruled against Comcast and its continuing attempts to illegally discriminate against our network," said Tennis Channel in a statement. "By denying Comcast's petition for a stay in all significant respects today, the FCC has reinforced that Comcast must begin positioning Tennis Channel on equal footing with its own Golf Channel and NBC Sports Network.  The FCC has reiterated that this repositioning must happen within the required timeframe, which is now approximately 30 days from today's ruling."

If the U.S. Court of appeals for the D.C. Circuit does not stay enforcement, Comcast by early September will have to have paid a fine and given Tennis Channel the same coverage it gives its Golf Channel and NBC Sports Net, in which Comcast has an ownership interest.