Big 4 Affiliates Seek AT&T/DirecTV Local-Into-Local Condition

The Big Four network affiliate associations have joined the National Association of Broadcasters in asking the Federal Communications Commission to require DirecTV to carry TV stations in all 210 TV markets if it wants to be able to merge with AT&T. Satellite operators have to carry all TV stations in markets where it carries any, but has no general must-carry mandate as do cable operators.

In a filing to the FCC, which is currently vetting the AT&T/DirecTV merger proposal, the ABC Television Affiliates Association, CBS Television Network Affiliates Association, FBC Television Affiliates Association, and the NBC Television Affiliates pointed out that Dish and AT&T U-verse deliver local stations in all their markets. By contrast, there are 11 markets (among the smallest) where DirecTV does not deliver any stations. They said that without the condition, a merged company would be even less likely to provide local-into-local service in those 11 small markets. But they said requiring it to do so would help ameliorate the harms of allowing the merged company of having the "competitive advantage" of not having the obligation to serve every market.