Tennis Match: FCC VS Comcast

FCC Bureau: Tennis Should Get Wider Comcast Carriage, Operator Should Be Fined - 2011-07-09 20:34:26 | Broadcasting & Cable

From the article:

"The FCC's Enforcement Bureau has told an administrative law judge that he should mandate Tennis Channel carriage on a "widely viewed"--though not necessarily most widely viewed--Comcast tier and fine the cable operator the maximum for that program carriage rule violation." ...

... "The bureau said it believes the Tennis Channel has demonstrated that Comcast discriminated against the channel on the basis of affiliation, or in this case nonaffiliation, which prevented the channel from competing fairly with similar sports channels in which Comcast had a financial interest." ...
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So, now the Government wants to take charge of choosing the programs Comcast provides to their paid subscribers? As a private business, shouldn't Comcast decide what to offer?



That's not how it works, Folks.

..."The bureau concluded that "Comcast engaged in discrimination in the selection, terms and conditions of carriage on the basis of affiliation and nonaffiliation" ...

If I owned a Goodyear Tire Dealership should I be required to have Firestone Tires available to my customers? It seems to me if Comcast subscribers don't like the offerings, they can choose other sources for their TV reception. Free OTA, Satellite and online streaming video are choices - but I believe in free-market-enterprise.

This is a first amendment issue. The FCC should get slapped down hard for this.