March 7, 2010

ACA Statement On Disney Pulling Its ABC Signal From 3 Million Cablevision Customers

PITTSBURGH, March, 7, 2010 — “Disney’s decision early Sunday to pull its ABC signal from 3 million Cablevision System Corp. cable customers in the New York City area underscores the American Cable Association’s long-standing policy position that the federal retransmission consent regime is a badly broken system that permits signal pulling and flagrant price discrimination against smaller cable companies that consumers should not be forced to tolerate. ACA urges the Federal Communications Commission to heed the calls of members of Congress and take every action now to restore the ABC signal while the parties continue to engage in good faith negotiations, and then to focus on addressing the underlying problems with the broadcast carriage rules and regulations in order to avoid these problems from happening in the future.”

About the American Cable Association

Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing nearly 900 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/