Government to Consider Consumer Protections in Cable Disputes
When most people shell out for cable service, they expect to get some basic channels -- especially since, in most areas, cable companies operate with little or
Jul 31, 20205.8K Shares650.5K Views
When most people shell out for cable service, they expect to get some basic channels — especially since, in most areas, cable companies operate with little or no competition under the protection of local or state governments. But over the last few months, Cablevision customers have seen some of their channels go dark without notice due to disputes between their cable company and various content providers. The federal government is going to contemplate whether consumers should continue being corporate casualties.
“„“The events of the last two or three months show us that this is an issue that should be looked at seriously,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Thursday at a Senate hearing on Comcast Corp.’s proposed deal to acquire control of General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal. “It’s certainly something that we’ll be looking into and look at whether this framework makes sense or whether reforms may be necessary.”
But the feds don’t know if they have the authority to protect consumers, and local governments have often been loathe to do anything about cable companies’ monopolistic practices. With a major cable provider’s acquisition of a network, however, it could be an increasingly frequent access problem for cable consumers.
Hajra Shannon
Reviewer
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