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The Telecom Digest for October 20, 2013
Volume 32 : Issue 218 : "text" Format
====== 32 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
|
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Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 15:27:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Neal McLain <nmclain.remove-this@and-this-too.annsgarden.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Another retransmission consent-fight: Dish Network v. Media General
Message-ID: <cc93de5a-5c7f-4300-a7c7-69e02554674a@googlegroups.com>
| Dish Network asks FCC to intervene in Media General blackout
| By Steve Donohue, FierceCable, October 18, 2013
|
| ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, DISH Network L.L.C.
| filed a complaint against Media General, requesting that the
| Federal Communications Commission immediately require Media
| General to negotiate in good faith to resolve a blackout that
| began Oct. 1.
|
| In the Complaint, DISH explains how Media General has breached
| its statutory duty to negotiate in good faith: "Media
| General's conduct violates the Commission's rules requiring
| good faith negotiation for retransmission consent rights,
| because, among other things, Media General failed to respond
| for 11 days to DISH's last pre-blackout offer."
|
| Media General blocked programming from DISH customers in 17
| markets after a retransmission contract expired.
|
| "DISH customers and Media General viewers were without their
| shows and events for 11 days before Media General would even
| contact us," said Dave Shull, DISH executive vice president.
| "We reacted with a counter offer within hours and Media
| General has yet to respond. DISH is asking the FCC to act
| expeditiously to address Media General's bad faith, push them
| back to the negotiating table and submit to mediation to get
| programming back to consumers."
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ljgnd53
Representative Eshoo's CHOICE Act addresses this problem, and it seems
to be gathering support. Maybe there's a chance that it will actually
make it through Congress
http://tinyurl.com/l53hsj7
Neal McLain
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 07:13:36 -0400
From: T <kd1s.nospam@cox.nospam.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: T-Mobile Hands Consumers a Pleasant Shocker
Message-ID: <MPG.2ccae1ebd558599c989ef1@news.eternal-september.org>
In article <1mlv2f20iyc28$.f159novjkz89.dlg@40tude.net>,
mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net says...
>
> On Sun, 13 Oct 2013 23:14:17 -0400, Monty Solomon wrote:
>
> > T-Mobile Hands Consumers a Pleasant Shocker
> > ...
> > ... on Wednesday, T-Mobile did it again. It announced an even
> > bigger shocker: Starting next month, it will eliminate the sky-high,
> > nosebleed, ridiculous, usurious international roaming charges that
> > have terrified and enraged overseas travelers for years.
>
> And do you suppose T-Mo will actually refund those nosebleed charges that
> it bilked customers for back then, at least if they're still customers now?
>
> Cheers, -- tlvp
Of course they won't. It's the game of the marketplace. Early adopters
always pay through the nose, the next wave not so much and the mature
wave little still.
But a corporation will always get it's money.
Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:29:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Neal McLain <nmclain.remove-this@and-this-too.annsgarden.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Canada to propose forcing a la carte programming
Message-ID: <91e4b313-a33f-488f-81a1-c849eabfa769@googlegroups.com>
On Wednesday, October 16, 2013 11:08:59 PM UTC-5, Garrett Wollman wrote:
> On the margins, it [a la carte] may require (and free) distributors
> to rearrange their bundles in a way that more closely matches the
> services households actually want to buy together.
Agreed!
I'd like to see legislation that would:
[1] Prohibit broadcast licensees from bundling non-broadcast
programming with broadcast signals in retransmission-consent
agreements.
[2] Define some ironclad procedure for resolving transmission-consent
squabbles. It could be binding arbitration, an FCC hearing before
an Administrative Law Judge, or maybe a special court.
[3] Grant cable (and satellite) companies the freedom to split the
basic tier into three tiers:
--- Sports.
--- Broadcast stations that elect retransmission consent.
--- Everything else including broadcast stations that elect must-carry.
This would move the most expensive programming onto separate tiers.
As it happens, Representative Anna G. Eshoo (D-California), has
introduced a bill called The Video CHOICE (Consumers Have Options in
Choosing Entertainment. It would accomplish most of what I propose;
specifically:
- Prohibit broadcast licensees from bundling non-broadcast programming
with broadcast signals.
- Grant cable companies the freedom to set up a "retransmission
consent service tier."
- Require the FCC to study sports programming license fees and issue a
report to Congress.
The text of Eshoo's bill is here:
http://tinyurl.com/nx243u6
Neal McLain
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 12:03:40 -0400
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Canada to propose forcing a la carte programming
Message-ID: <20131019160339.GA32070@telecom.csail.mit.edu>
On Thu, Oct 17, 2013 at 10:29:05PM -0700, Neal McLain wrote:
> On Wednesday, October 16, 2013 11:08:59 PM UTC-5, Garrett Wollman wrote:
>
> > On the margins, it [a la carte] may require (and free) distributors
> > to rearrange their bundles in a way that more closely matches the
> > services households actually want to buy together.
>
> Agreed!
>
> I'd like to see legislation that would:
> [1] Prohibit broadcast licensees from ...
Putting the bubble-headed bleached blond on at five.
> [2] Define some ironclad procedure for ...
Balancing the federal budget.
> [3] Grant cable (and satellite) companies the freedom to ...
Sell whatever they want to whomever wants to buy it:
* Agence France-Presse
* Al Jazeera
* BBC
* Freaky Alaskans on sleds with binoculars
* NHK
* Xinhua
> As it happens, Representative Anna G. Eshoo (D-California), has
> introduced a bill called ...
"The Free Publicity For Anna Act"?
Sigh.
No offense, man, but isn't this all a side show to the gritty business
of actually governing? The U.S. is in desperate trouble, economically,
culturally, and morally, and I don't think our public debates need to
focus on which flavor of goatse you or I rent.
The government's job is not to protect us from our own folly. The
government's job is to protect us from our neighbor's folly. We
have, and need to exercise, the option of turning the set off and
going to talk to our neighbors: about politics, the deficit, how
schools are failing at every level, our kids, the "ancient political
fish-like smell", or whatever the topic of the day is.
When enough viewers do *that*, the cable companies will change their
programming to give viewers more, and "better", choices.
Bill
--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my address to write to me directly)
Now the warriors of winter they gave a cold triumphant shout
And all that stays is dying, all that lives is getting out
- Joni Mitchell
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