Cable Retransmission Reform Effort Falling Short

The pay TV industry’s heavily lobbied retransmission consent reform campaign doesn’t appear likely to result in a major pummeling for broadcasters on Capitol Hill this year, but cable and satellite TV operators may score some gains that could hurt the ability of broadcasters to negotiate future retransmission deals.

The focus of the pay TV efforts to hobble broadcasters has been legislation aimed primarily at extending the ability of satellite TV operators to import distant broadcast signals in certain limited circumstances for five years. The legislation is known as the Satellite Television Access and Viewer Rights Act, or STAVRA, in the Senate and the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, or STELA, in the House.