Media Bureau Rejects Broadcasters' Retrans Complaint Against DirecTV
The FCC Media Bureau rejected a complaint by seven related broadcasters claiming that DirecTV failed to negotiate the retransmission consent agreements in good faith. While a party in a retrans negotiation must give an explanation for rejecting the other party's…
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offer, it's not required to justify that explanation with documents or evidence, the bureau said in its order issued Friday. Blackhawk Broadcasting, Bristlecone Broadcasting, Broadcasting Licenses Limited Partnership, Eagle Creek Broadcasting of Laredo, Mountain Licenses, Northwest Broadcasting and Stainless Broadcasting filed a complaint in June in which they asked the FCC to step into the retrans negotiations. They alleged that DirecTV wasn't negotiating in good faith and asked the agency to force it to show numbers to back up its estimations of the market value of the group's signals (see 1506120021).