TDS bought the cable, broadband and business assets of Continuum, which had been owned by Mooresville and Davidson, North Carolina, for $80 million, the buyer said Thursday. It said Continuum employees were offered jobs with TDS and there are no immediate plans to change branding.
The "true fees" cable TV pricing rules adopted as part of the omnibus spending bill passed in December (see 1912190068) are "long overdue," with the cable industry frequently camouflaging rate hikes as hidden fees instead putting them into advertised rates, CCG Consulting President Doug Dawson blogged Monday. He said more honesty about pricing could accelerate cord cutting even further. The legislation applies only to cable TV pricing, raising the risk that cable companies could try to shift hidden fees to their broadband or phone service, Dawson said. "I suspect the cable companies will somehow not come clean about bundling prices for cable TV, even with this new law," he said. Public Knowledge also applauded the legislation. Consumer Reports (CR), which championed the measure, told us its support for the legislation stemmed from its own finding that consumers can pay up to $450 a year in such fees. Along with the requirement that consumers are told the complete monthly price, including all fees and taxes, when signing up with cable service, consumers also get a 24-hour window to cancel service without penalty, CR said. NCTA and America's Communications Association didn't comment.
The current National Cable TV Cooperative/Fox programming rights agreement expires Dec. 31, and more than 700 cable operators and distributors could lose rights to carry Fox News, FS1, Fox Business Network and other Fox channels, NCTC said Monday. It said Fox is seeking "outrageous price hikes" and has been contacting NCTC members directly about agreements while saying talks with NCTC are at an impasse. Fox didn't comment.
AT&T TV Now's multichannel video service is competing with Cox Communications' cable service in Holland, Massachusetts, and fulfills the LEC test, the cabler said in an FCC docket 12-1 petition posted Thursday seeking an effective competition determination. Comcast filed a similar petition this week for numerous Massachusetts communities (see 1912170020). Both follow the FCC's October order that AT&T TV Now is effective competition for Charter Communications service in Massachusetts and Hawaii, ending basic tier cable rate regulation there (see 1910250036). The Massachusetts Department of Technology and Cable didn't comment.
The FCC and NCTA disagree with localities about a proposed stay of the local franchise authority order that's subject of appeals before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court. The order (see 1908010011) took effect almost three months ago and compliance is well underway, so a stay would run contrary to the purpose of a stay by changing the status quo instead of preserving it, NCTA said in a docket 19-4163 opposition (in Pacer) this week filed with the 6th Circuit. The FCC said (in Pacer) the stay request is actually for injunctive relief, and the localities haven't shown irreparable injury if the order stays in effect. Localities seeking the stay said (in Pacer) they will suffer irreparable harm without a stay pending review, because cable operators could unilaterally withhold franchise fee payments or stop following franchise agreements, leading to "dramatic budget uncertainty." The Media Bureau denied an administrative stay.
FCC-updated cable leased access rules take effect Wednesday (see 1906060029), says Wednesday's Federal Register. The FCC said OMB approved for three years associated information collection.
With the FCC deciding Charter Communications has effective competition in Massachusetts based on the presence of AT&T TV Now (see 1910250036), Comcast wants the same. Its docket 12-1 effective competition determination petition Tuesday would end rate regulation in 84 franchise areas in Massachusetts. "There are no factual differences between the Charter precedent and this case that could justify a different legal result," Comcast said. The Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable didn't comment.
NCTA and localities disagree about cable's ask for clarification of FCC denial of a stay of local franchise authority order (see 1911130021). NCTA in an FCC docket 05-311 posting Monday said locality interests show no basis for denying the petition, nor do they show how to reconcile seemingly inconsistent sections. The association said localities' "alarmist claim" the petition is evidence cable operators plan to abruptly end institutional networks or carrying public, educational and government services "is baseless." NATOA, the National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties, National Association of Towns and Townships and National Association of Regional Councils said key sentences in the denial order can't be removed without upending its conclusions.
The cable TV lineup notification NPRM approved 5-0 Thursday (see 1912120063) tones down what had been numerous tentative conclusions in the FCC draft, according to our side-by-side analysis. The draft had the agency saying it believed an as-soon-as-possible notice for a channel deletion or change due to retransmission consent or carriage negotiations, rather than the 30-day requirement, better served subscribers. The approved docket 19-347 version released late Thursday now has the agency saying it seeks comment on the ASAP notice better serving subs. Unlike the draft, which tentatively endorsed NCTA's claim "channel slates" notices that would replace the video feed in the event of a blackout would be a reasonable written means for notifying subscribers, the final version seeks comment on whether that would be a reasonable written means. The final version replaced a tentative conclusion about notices in the newspaper not being a reasonable written means, just seeking comment on whether it would. Instead of tentatively concluding the FCC has authority to revise its rule requiring a 30-day notice to local franchise authorities of any basic rate increase, the NPRM seeks comment on whether it has that power. The approved version also includes some new questions, such as whether cable operators should be required to provide notice in some timeframe other than 30 days in the context of a retrans negotiations, such as a week or 48 hours before contract expiration. It asks if there are ways cable operators currently keep subscribers notified of ongoing negotiations or expiring contracts that could be incorporated into FCC rules.
The connected TV advertising market is expected to exceed $7 billion in 2019, Vizio said. It launched Vizio Ads to deliver advertising across the TV maker's SmartCast platform. Ads will be available within the recently updated launch and discovery sections of SmartCast, Vizio said, along with partner streaming apps and the company's WatchFree service. It named an executive to run the business (see personals section). Vizio didn’t respond to questions on consumers' ability to opt out of ads. The company previously paid $2.2 million to settle FTC allegations it fashioned smart TVs to spy on TV owners' viewing habits (see report, Oct. 9, 2018).