OFFICE OF
TH E CHAI R MAN
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
WASHINGTON
September 28, 2010
The Honorable Howard Coble
U.S. House of Representatives
2468 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Coble:
Thank you for your letter concerning the potential negative impact of retransmission
consent disputes on consumers. I share your concern about possible service interruptions caused
by stalled negotiations between local broadcast television stations and multichannel video
programming distributors (MVPDs). Consumers should not bear the brunt of corporate
negotiation problems.
As you may know, a coalition representing a number of MVPDs and public interest
groups submitted a Petition for Rulemaking to reform the retransmission consent rules. The
Petition asks that the Commission adopt new mechanisms for mandatory arbitration when
MVPDs and broadcasters fail to reach retransmission consent agreements, and require continued
carriage of broadcast signals during the negotiation or dispute resolution process. The Petition
also requests the adoption of rules to change the practice of tying broadcast programming to the
carriage of nonbroadcast services.
The Commission's Media Bureau issued a Public Notice inviting comment on the issues
and proposals discussed in the Petition. The comment period recently closed and the Bureau is
reviewing the record compiled in the proceeding to develop recommendations for Commission
consideration. Given the importance of this matter to a wide range of consumers, we intend to
treat this matter seriously.
I appreciate your interest in this important matter. Please do not hesitate to let me know
if I can be of further assistance.
ely,
Julius Genachowski