Broadcasters took aim Thursday at MVPDs' argument that TV stations have too much bargaining power in retransmission consent negotiations and that the FCC should apply ownership limits to their multicast streams and to LPTV stations.
The National Association of Broadcasters was responding in reply comments to the FCC's request for input on its upcoming Communications Marketplace Report to Congress on the state of media competition.
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As to MVPDs' comments? NAB said essentially, "nothing to see here."
"[T]he predictable and unmeritorious complaints of the multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) parties about retransmission consent – complaints that have not improved with age and repetition – do little to inform the FCC’s inquiries here and have no bearing on the need to reform the local TV ownership rule," NAB said.
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NAB reiterated some points that it said it has made countless times: "MVPDs’ unhappiness about paying retransmission consent fees does not mean that TV broadcasters have any undue bargaining power over MVPDs; that those fees are, in any economic sense, too high; or that changes to FCC rules intended to enhance large pay-TV/broadband companies’ position at the negotiating table are in any way justified."
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The FCC report is not expected to offer any policy recommendations, instead providing an overview of the state of competition. But NAB suggests the inescapable takeaway from that view is that broadcasters face plenty of competition from unregulated competitors and they need room to maneuver, which means fewer ownership regs.
