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Sen. Kerry Doesn’t Want the Time Warner/News Corp. Spat Disrupting Football

Dec 23, 2009  •  Post A Comment

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is trying to play mediator in the retransmission consent dispute between Time Warner Cable and News Corp., worried that the fight will disrupt New Year’s Day football games, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In a letter to the two companies, Kerry, who is chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communication, Technology, and the Internet, urged a resolution by New Year’s Day, because, "We do not want consumers waking up on the first day of the new year wanting to watch football and instead finding that they have to take a trip to the electronics store to purchase a digital receiver in the hope that they receive a clear over-the-air signal.”

He added that, "If both parties conclude that the best alternative to a negotiated agreement is to have screens go dark for consumers, then they will have neglected the core interests of the millions of households that subscribe to Time Warner Cable in affected markets. As leaders of major companies that are FCC licensees and are obligated to serve the public interest, I hope and expect that you will resolve this matter consistent with those obligations."

Fox responded in a statement that it has been negotiating in good faith for months, and will continue to do so, while Time Warner Cable said that whether or not an agreement is reached is up to Fox.

–Elizabeth Jensen

3 Comments

  1. Someday Mr. Kerry will learn that just because he’s annoyed with something that does not give him the right to intervene or even stick his nose where it doesn’t belong.
    Mr. Kerry also seems not to realize that cable companies do not require FCC licenses, only broadcasters do.

  2. I really believe Sen. Kerry has much bigger fish to fry. Maybe instead of watching football he should be reading the 1800 page health care bill. A football game not being on cable, my goodness, viewers might figure out what free over-the-air TV (in HD) is all about.

  3. Nice blog here! Also your website loads up fast! What host are you using? I wish my website loaded up as fast as yours lol

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