Broadcasters Urge FCC not To Tilt Retrans Negotiation Power in MVPDs' Favor
Pointing to their having negotiated more than 200 retransmission consent agreements last year with only three resulting in any service disruptions, a group of local broadcasters met with FCC staff to urge the agency not to tilt negotiation power in…
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the favor of multichannel video programming distributors, said an ex parte filing posted Thursday in docket 15-216. It recapped meetings involving Quincy CEO Ralph Oakley, Bayou City Broadcasting CEO DuJuan McCoy and Morgan Murphy Media CEO Elizabeth Murphy Burns on one side, and FCC officials including Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Ajit Pai, Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake and Chairman Tom Wheeler's senior counselor, Philip Verveer. The filing said the broadcasters said they "have every incentive to successfully negotiate retransmission consent agreements" to maximize viewership, but MVPD consolidation has favored pay TV operators over small broadcasters in negotiations.