PITTSBURGH, May 9 2013 – American Cable Association President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement on the introduction of video programming competition legislation sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.):
“The American Cable Association salutes Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for continuing his search for solutions designed to provide consumers with more choice in the selection of video programming, including local TV signals, offered by pay-TV providers. In today’s pay-TV world, programmers prefer that consumers have less choice, and we agree that this sorry situation needs to change.
“Sen. McCain’s new bill highlights a point that many, including ACA, have been making for a long time, which is that programmers use their formidable market power to impose tying-and-bundling requirements on unwilling distributors. The result is that consumers must subscribe to large pay-TV packages that are populated with dozens of unwanted channels.
“ACA does not believe that mandated retail a la carte for every channel offered is the answer, but we look forward to working with Sen. McCain in helping shape policies that deal with the influence of programmers in a manner that gives distributors the genuine ability to create consumer-friendly programming packages as a substitute for the all-or-nothing status quo that enriches programmers but frustrates millions of consumers.”
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/