'Time to Beat Our Heads Against Wall Again' About Broken Retrans Market, Mediacom Says
Analysts, consumer groups and think tanks see the retransmission consent market as plainly uncompetitive, but the FCC is "the only significant player who doesn't seem to get that the only 'f' word associated with the retrans market ... is 'failure'…
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rather than 'free,'" wrote Mediacom General Counsel Joseph Young in a docket 10-71 filing posted Thursday. Mediacom said it has made these arguments ad nauseam, but the start of the Trump administration marks "time to beat our heads against the wall yet again." It said Chairman Ajit Pai shouldn't be led by an ideological deregulation drive but see the data that points to market failure -- with the smoking gun being that cord-cutting trends and ratings declines haven't slowed the growth of retrans fees. The cable operator said the agency shouldn't worsen the power balance with broadcasters by easing ownership restrictions or giving them a "free hand" in ATSC 3.0 deployment since lack of oversight could lead to millions of viewers unable to watch local channels or to skyrocketing pay-TV bills. NAB in a statement said, “This is more of the same silliness from Mediacom. NAB agrees with the FCC’s conclusion that no new retrans rules are needed. We urge the Commission to reject the anti-competitive musings of Mediacom and allow broadcasters the freedom to innovate for viewers’ benefit.”