866.349.3234

HD Satellite TV Service Retransmission in US Senate

Via Directsattv.com - Senate hearings: Retrans Fallout
During the recent Senate hearing on Capitol Hill, Democratic senators demanded more transparency in the contentious negotiations between television broadcasters and HD satellite TV and cable distributors. Highlighting the hearing was the specific dispute between News Corporation and Cablevision, which led to a prolonged blackout of the stations in many Eastern metropolitan areas. Unfortunately, the lack of transparency left viewers with little information at what was at stake.

Senators Mark Pryor and John Kerry lamented the almost abstruse negotiations put forth by the current rules for retransmission consent. They proposed instituting new laws that would allow the customer to better determine the reasons behind these blackouts, in order to understand why they occur. Many customers were left in the dark as to why their providers were left without programming while HD satellite TV provider DIRECTV continued to provide service to their customers. Currently, both distributors and broadcasters rarely share the reasons for these retransmission feuds or their eventual agreements.

While DIRECTV lauded the move for more transparency and customer protection, other companies bristled at the notion. News Corp COO Chase Carey stated that making private negotiations public would severely damage the bargaining process.

Despite having their signals freely available over public airwaves, local stations are able to charge cable and satellite distributors for the retransmission of their content. If a contract is not reached, these broadcasters can choose to deny companies their signals. The recent row with local stations and Cablevision is the primary reason for the intervention of Congress. While some contend that the retransmission rules are broken, others believe the only thing that is broken is the inability for one side to compromise. Either way, many consumers are left with their HD satellite TV as a result.

This is where the government hopes to step in as a mediator, by examining the negotiations and determining whether or not one side has failed to meet a fair and equitable compromise. By having either the FCC or Congress arbitrate the negotiations, resolutions can be met quickly and expediently. However, with the new GOP Congress set to enter in January, many are unsure how they will act on the issue. On the other hand, these problems only affect a limited amount of carriers, as other continue to provide continuous service without the need for government intervention and taxpayer money. Most notably, DIRECTV HD satellite TV service has been able to avoid blackouts throughout the entire retrans feud. By fighting for its subscribers, they have managed to avoid holding customers hostage while still providing affordable HD satellite TV

ADDITIONAL OFFER DETAILS