PITTSBURGH, February 21, 2014 – American Cable Association President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement regarding the Department of Justice’s recent filing in the FCC’s Media Ownership proceeding:
“ACA applauds the Justice Department for making clear that activities, such as joint advertising sales and joint retransmission consent negotiations, should be deemed per se illegal unless it’s reasonably necessary for some other efficiency-enhancing combination of the stations’ operations. ACA has made clear in the FCC’s proceeding that broadcasters’ agreements to coordinate retransmission consent negotiations can be easily severed from their typical sharing agreements without harming its efficiencies, and the broadcasters have never refuted us on this point. The obvious conclusion, supported by the DOJ filing, is that the FCC should deem the coordination of either advertising sales or retransmission consent negotiations as per seattributable under the media ownership rules.”
About the American Cable Association: Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing about 850 smaller and medium-sized, independent cable companies who provide broadband services for more than 7 million cable subscribers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. Through active participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA’s members work together to advance the interests of their customers and ensure the future competitiveness and viability of their business. For more information, visit https://acaconnects.org/