Blitzing the FCC

BLITZING THE FCC
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] National Football League owners are not above whining to federal regulators when they don't get their way. The league is currently upset that its pay-TV television channel isn't getting wide distribution on basic cable. Instead, Time Warner and Comcast want to offer the network as part of their less popular sports tier of programming. The first NFL Network game of the season is on Thanksgiving, and the cable firms show no signs of giving in to the league's demands. The industry maintains that the NFL is charging cable companies too much money for them to offer the network on their basic tier without increasing subscription rates. At least one owner has started a PR campaign, calling on fans to dump cable service and switch to satellite-delivered TV. "More troubling is the NFL's attempt to involve government regulators in what is essentially a commercial dispute. The league has taken its complaints to the Federal Communications Commission in hopes that the agency will force the hand of cable operators. A media campaign against cable is one thing, but seeking regulatory leverage in a private-sector dispute is unsportsman-like conduct. We trust the FCC knows the difference and will respond accordingly."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119543603876297534.html?mod=todays_us_op...
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