ICLE on Video Blackouts

ICLE comments on a Federal Communications Commission proposal to mandate consumer rebates for retransmission negotiation related video blackouts were cited in a story by Communications Daily. You can read the full piece here.

While blackouts are a consumer annoyance, the FCC’s framing of the issue oversimplifies retrans talks “and mischaracterizes consumers’ agency in subscribing to and using multichannel-video-programming distributors,” the International Center for Law & Economics said. The commission is proposing “unworkable and arbitrary rules.” With rebates potentially being as small as a few cents, the cost to the FCC, cable and DBS operators “would be many times greater than the amount of rebates provided to consumers,” it added.