March 12, 2010

ACA Statement On Program Access Ruling By U.S. Court Of Appeals For The D.C. Circuit

PITTSBURGH, March 12, 2010 – “While we are pleased that the court recognized that the FCC had substantial evidence to conclude that vertically integrated cable companies have the ability and incentive to withhold “must-have” programming from competitors, we maintain that the current program access rules are demonstrably ineffective for competitive pay-TV content buyers because they permit rampant, unjustified price discrimination.  Moreover, the rules fail to provide for an automatic right to continued carriage during the pendency of a complaint and do not offer any rate-setting mechanisms. For these reasons, ACA asserts that program access rules will not alleviate the substantial harms that would result from the Comcast-NBCU merger, and that structural or behavioral remedies must be put in place by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice before that deal is approved.”

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/