Martin’s FCC Ready To Impose 30% Cable Ownership Cap

MARTIN'S FCC READY TO IMPOSE 30% CABLE OWNERSHIP CAP
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
The Federal Communications Commission is planning to vote Dec. 18 to revive a rule that would prevent any cable company from serving more than 30% of pay-TV subscribers nationally. Chairman Kevin Martin wants to impose the cap to frustrate Comcast’s ability to make a big acquisition. With 26.1 million subscribers and 27% market share under FCC rules, Comcast could likely acquire Cablevision’s 3.1 million subscribers but probably not Charter’s 5.3 million subs. Time Warner Cable, with 13.3 million subscribers or 14% of the 96.9 million pay-TV subscriber universe, has a lot more headroom under the cap than Comcast. The cable ownership cap is also about Martin’s dogged campaign to inflict regulatory harm on cable operators and programmers until the industry agrees to Martin’s demand that all cable channels should be sold in an a la carte menu.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6512059.html?rssid=196