PITTSBURGH, September 5, 2014 – American Cable Association President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement regarding Local Choice provisions in new Senate draft legislation called the Satellite Television Access and Viewers Rights Act (STAVRA):
“The manifold problems with current retransmission consent rules and their associated consumer harms have been studied and reviewed for many years by Congress and the Federal Communications Commission, and we are very pleased that Sens. Rockefeller and Thune, in response to calls for reform by the American Cable Association and many others, want to pass a bill that puts the interests of consumers first.
“ACA greatly appreciates the fact that Sens. Rockefeller and Thune, working in a bipartisan fashion, have decided that the status quo characterized by too many TV signal blackouts and escalating consumer costs for local TV signals needs to be changed. We support the Senate lawmakers’ conclusion that the time has come for Congress to enact Local Choice to ensure that pay-TV distribution of free local TV signals occurs in a manner that serves the public interest not just some of the time but all of the time.”
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 nearly 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/