Undoing Retransmission Extortion

The yearly totals as of July 28 are amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 Year Blackoutsamp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2010amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 8amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2011 amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 42amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2012 amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 90amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2013 amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 119amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2014 amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 94amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2015 amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 193amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2016 amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 104amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2017 amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 213amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2018 amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 165amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 2019amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160 213amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 amp160 with more likely anytime soonamp160amp160Of course the blackouts don39t last forever amp160One big confrontation ended this week as Altice and CBS made up and renewed amp160But in the end the MVPD operator always comes out on the losing side amp160Hard to win if you gotta pay for a gottahave product even though it is meant to be amp8220freeamp8221amp160At any rate we still have current blackouts galore amp8230 most notably one between CBS and ATampampT including all ATampampT distribution modes like satellite and OTTamp160 Dish also is tussling with a number of programmersamp160Getting back to conversations on retrans the broadcasters are gearing up for a battle amp160Back on July 23 NAB head Gordon Smith suggestedamp160amp8220that ATampampT and Dish are causing retransmission consent blackouts to win congressional support for the renewal of the satellite TV law that broadcasters fear may weaken their hand in retrans negotiationsamp8221amp160And hallelujah to thatamp160In case you need a refresher amp8220Retransmission consentamp8221 was created in the Cable Act of 1992 in order to provide overtheair broadcasters with a new revenue stream money paid by cable operators read subscribers for the privilege of carrying those amp8220freeamp8221 overtheair channels amp160At the same time the former amp8220must carryamp8221 aspect of broadcast signals hung around for those broadcasters without the clout to get paidamp160Meanwhile a fiveyearatatime law called STELAR was passed that allows MVPDs to import broadcast signals for markets without local signals amp160But that runs out this year and as you might imagine there39samp160 been a run on highpriced lobbyists to boost one side or the other in what is already shaping up as a Beltway brawlamp160It just so happens a couple of Congressfolk Representatives Anna Eschoo DCA and Steve Scalise RLA both of whom have been following the issues introduced a bill this week to address more than a bit of the complex issuesamp160 The Modern Television Act would trash the amp821792 Cable Act and replace STELAR with one billamp160The new bill would drop the most arcane parts of both earlier bills and replace them with a greater emphasis on amp8220good faithamp8221 negotiations while shifting the emphasis from amp8220retransmission consentamp8221 to classic copyright negotiationsamp160The Modern Television Act is just the first round of whatamp8217s to comeamp160amp160So stay tuned and donamp8217t overlook network neutralityamp160 Bet it gets packaged in with the upcoming legislative circusamp160Oh and look for more blackouts to comeamp160Random Notesamp160Because the President at his socalled Summit managed to redefine free speech his way and especially after Peter Thiel called out Google for undocumented amp8220treasonousamp8221 activities promised his Administration would amp8220take a close lookamp8221 any serious socalled look at big tech will be taintedamp160 This is the first Presidential threat since the Nixon Administration to target media in a serious wayamp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160Meanwhile donamp8217t you wish you could absorb a pair of fines totaling 5100000000 as easily as Facebookamp160Coming soon to a broadband service might be NewsGuard the factchecker service from Steve Brill and former Wall Street Journal publisher Gordon Crovitz amp8230 for a fee of courseamp160Will that join Flex 5month access on Comcast X1 systems that packages access to a variety of streamers and incorporates voice commandsamp160Meanwhile is it true the new cell phone antennae on the forthcoming Dish wireless service will be tiny dishesamp160Click on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160amp160amp160

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Undoing Retransmission Extortion

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Paul S. Maxwell

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