Gray and Raycom Dismiss MVPD Objections, Call for Prompt Approval
Concerns by the American Cable Association, Dish Network and NCTA about Gray buying Raycom are “irrelevant,” the broadcasters responded, posted in FCC docket 18-230 Wednesday. “Only three parties filed comments on the applications, and none filed petitions to deny” (see…
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1808270038). The MVPD commenters argued the combination will have too much leverage in retransmission-consent negotiations, the response said. MVPDs “have raised this speculative claim repeatedly in response to television station transactions over the past several years, and the Commission has rightly rejected this argument every time,” Gray and Raycom said. The combination won’t have an incentive to cause more viewer blackouts, and the two top-four combinations the MVPDs objected to are existing and long-standing, the companies said. “The transaction complies with all of the Commission’s structural ownership rules and proposes divestitures where necessary to avoid prohibited station combinations.” The broadcasters sought approval “without delay.”