Congressional Democrats are interested in reforming the 1992...
Congressional Democrats are interested in reforming the 1992 Cable Act provisions regarding retransmission consent, said Guggenheim Partners analyst Paul Gallant in an email Friday. Democrats believe consumers shouldn’t be “penalized when companies cannot agree on retrans prices,” Gallant said, citing…
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comments from Democratic staffers who spoke at the Catholic University Law School communications policy symposium hosted by Wiley Rein last week. One Democratic staffer at the event said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is “concerned that video competition has not lowered pay TV rates” and the committee will “focus on examining how disruptive technologies could benefit consumers,” Gallant said. “Based on the comments we heard yesterday, we think Aereo -- as well as Google/Apple/Amazon if they decide to get involved -- may find a receptive audience among some in Congress for policy recommendations that would help [over-the-top] OTT emerge as an alternative to cable/satellite,” he wrote. Republican committee staffers at the event said there will be more hearings in the coming months to examine the issue and “argued that Congress should not rush into new regulation of the pay TV sector,” Gallant said. “The speakers reinforced our view that Congress is likely to give serious consideration in the next 12-15 months to revising the retrans law and exploring steps aimed at strengthening OTT firms like Aereo,” Gallant said.