NAB, NCTA Both Spent Less on Lobbying in Q2, as Hill Video Debates Slow
The biggest trade associations in the video space spent less money lobbying in Q2 this year than last, according to second quarter lobbying disclosure forms. NCTA spending was $2.95 million vs. last year’s $4.01 million in Q2. NAB lobbying dropped to $4.17 million, from the $4.65 million it spent last year during the same quarter. Those forms were due Monday, and several weren't posted by our deadline.
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Last year, several lobbyists and others said the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization process was driving the lobbying spending for both broadcasters and pay-TV companies, locked in a high-profile war over retransmission consent. It was must-pass legislation that was signed into law in December. Video issues have received minimal attention by comparison this year. The Senate is widely expected to address video policy issues some more later this year, with Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., possibly resurrecting a controversial broadcast a la carte proposal known as Local Choice. The Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is believed to be digging into the over-the-top contracts of the biggest pay-TV companies.
Other pieces of high-profile video legislation from last year also haven't resurfaced this Congress. House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and House GOP Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., haven't reintroduced their video bills from last Congress, respectively the Video Consumers Have Options in Choosing Entertainment Act and the Next Generation Television Marketplace Act. The one video issue gaining traction is the possible grandfathering of existing broadcaster joint sales agreements. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., succeeded in clearing legislation from committee on the topic last month, and a similar provision was included in the House Financial Services appropriations bill. NAB backs those provisions and reported lobbying on Blunt’s bill on its Q2 form.
TiVo still retains Arent Fox, a firm it hired near the end of the STELA reauthorization process last year amid a particularly bruising battle over the set-top box integration ban repeal that was ultimately included in the legislation. The STELA Reauthorization (STELAR) Act created the Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee, dealing with those issues, and Arent Fox reported lobbying on that process and on “issues relating to cable set-top boxes, video device competition,” it said. TiVo paid $40,000 for Arent Fox’s services, which included lobbying of the Senate and FCC by former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and the firm’s Dan Renberg.
Dish, embroiled in controversy over its use of designated entities in the AWS-3 spectrum auction, spent more on lobbying in the latest Q2: $440,000 vs. last Q2’s $370,000. Its lobbying form didn’t specifically name the designated entity debate but said Dish lobbied on “issues relating to satellite broadband; issues relating to spectrum management, including spectrum auctions, and wireless competition.” Dish also flagged its lobbying on “issues related to retransmission consent reform; issues related to video marketplace competition and merger and acquisition activity in the pay-TV industry.” DirecTV also invested more money in its lobbying, with a spike in spending from $590,000 in 2014’s Q2 to $730,000 this year. DirecTV’s lobbying form acknowledged a focus on AT&T’s proposed acquisition of DirecTV. DirecTV also lobbied on “issues related to Reform of Retransmission Consent Law & Rules” and “issues related to the implementation of the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014,” it said.
The American Cable Association spent more in Q2 of this year than last, $150,000 most recently vs. $130,000 before. The two lobbyists listed are President Matt Polka and Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Ross Lieberman, reported to track a broad array of FCC-focused measures in the House and Senate.
The Q2 filings showcased some other changes in broader lobbying spending. CEA spending rose to $1.44 million, from $1.12 million. T-Mobile, too, boosted its spending: $1.62 million, up from $1.36 million. TIA’s spending remained steady at $70,000. Public Knowledge didn’t list a figure on its lobbying report last year but this year clocked $12,196 for the activities of Vice President-Government Affairs Chris Lewis, who tracked FCC funding bills, agency reauthorization and measures related to process. Common Cause spending stayed steady at $30,000. It also referred to net neutrality, widely seen as a major driver of lobbying spending this year and the source of much attention on Capitol Hill.