Not surprisingly, the major broadcast and cable trade associations had quite different reactions to the draft of Satellite Television Access and Viewer Rights Act (STAVRA) released Friday.
"NAB opposes this proposal because it eliminates the basic tier upon which millions rely for access to lifeline information. It proposes a broadcast a la carte scheme that will lead to higher prices and less program diversity," said National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith. "Furthermore, STAVRA appears to confer unfettered and unprecedented authority for government intervention into private marketplace negotiations."
The draft's Local Choice provision would essentially eliminate negotiated cable and satellite payments for TV station signals, replacing them, beginning in 2017, with direct dealings between broadcasters and MVPD subs who could chose not to pay for or receive TV station signals via their pay TV provider.
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