Maine a la Carte Law Violates Free Speech, Cablers Tell 1st Circuit
The First Amendment clearly protects cable distributors and programmers from laws singling out the news media for special treatment, as well as their editorial discretion in creating programming packages, cable company plaintiff appellees said Thursday in a 1st U.S. Circuit…
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Court of Appeals brief (docket 20-1104, in Pacer). They opposed Maine appealing a lower court's grant of a preliminary injunction on First Amendment grounds blocking a state law requiring cable operators provide programming on an a la carte basis (see 2004300011). Appellees are Comcast, A&E, C-SPAN, ViacomCBS, Discovery, Disney, Fox Cable Network Services and New England Sports Network. The governor's office didn't comment Friday.