FCC wants your 2 cents on how much TV channels should cost

March 19th, 2010, 3:26 pm
Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

If ads warning that the Fox TV channel could get yanked from service made you anxious, annoyed or even thrilled, the Federal Communications Commission wants to hear from you.

The agency, which regulates the cable and satellite TV industry, began accepting anyone’s comment Friday on what they think about retransmission fees. Such fees are what made Time Warner Cable and Fox launch public campaigns over the holidays. Fox wanted Time Warner to pay a fee for every cable customer who had access to Fox.

This is your chance to let the government know how the fees affect customers: They make our prices go up every year. While you’re at it, you may want to offer your thoughts on paying for TV channels a la carte, or pay for only the ones you want.

Orange County customers ultimately didn’t see any shows pulled as the two sides resolved their differences — in private. But not so lucky were Cablevision customers on the East Coast who already this year lost access (temporarily) to Food Networks and ABC.

Time Warner — joined by Dish Network, DirecTV, Cablevision and 11 others — led the way last week when it told the FCC the method for negotiating a fair price for TV channels needed an update. It told the FCC:

Consumers are increasingly being put in the middle of disputes between programmers and distributors, including recurring threats of going dark, high-stakes public negotiations, and, in the case of ABC’s recent withdrawal of programming from three million Cablevision subscribers, highly disruptive blackouts. … The 14 petitioners asked the FCC to implement new dispute resolution mechanisms –such as compulsory arbitration or an expert tribunal — and require continued carriage of broadcast signals during negotiations or disputes, to help ensure uninterrupted programming for consumers. The petitioners implore the FCC to act expeditiously to help prevent further consumer harm.

The FCC is accepting public comments through May 4. Anyone can file a comment. Here’s how to do it:
Online: Go to the Federal electronic comment page http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/ (link: bit.ly/b87tac ) or the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#home ( link: regulations.gov ). You’ll need to include a mailing address, the docket number (MB Docket No. 10-71) and e-mail address.

Snail mail: You must send the original comment plus four copies addressed to Commission’s Secretary, Marlene H. Dortch, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. They can be delivered in the following methods (sounds complicated!):

•All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St., SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. The filing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

•Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and PriorityMail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743.

•U.S. Postal Service first-class mail, Express Mail, and Priority Mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554.

•One copy of each filing must be sent to Diana Sokolow, Media Bureau, Room 4-A734, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554 or diana.sokolow@fcc.gov.

http://gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/2 ... ost/38125/