Number: RL34078
Title: Retransmission Consent and Other Federal Rules Affecting Programmer-Distributor Negotiations: Issues for Congress
Authors: Charles B. Goldfarb, Resources, Science, and Industry Division 
Abstract: The small cable companies have argued that some of the existing statutory and regulatory requirements were implemented at a time when cable was a monopoly and were intended to protect broadcasters. Now that the market dynamics have changed, they argue, some of these rules should be changed to allow for more even-handed negotiations. At the same time, however, as a result of consolidation and clustering in the cable industry there are a few very large cable companies, which primarily serve major markets, as well as the two national satellite operators, that appear to have sufficient market strength to be able to withstand many of the demands of the programmers with must-have programming and to place small independent programmers at a negotiating disadvantage.
Pages: 75
Date: July 9, 2007