C-SPAN is supporting Cablevision’s request that the Supreme Court overturn must-carry rules, calling them “a relic of the past,” B&C reports.

According to the article, "The cable public affairs channel, which must compete with those TV stations for channel space, has long argued that the fact that broadcasters have a guaranteed carriage right while channels like C-SPAN have to compete for what space is left violates the First Amendment."

Furthermore, the article says C-SPAN argues that programmers today have an expanding number of options for getting their programming delivered, making the rules unnecessary.

According to the C-SPAN website, "C-SPAN is a private, non-profit company, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a public service. Our mission is to provide public access to the political process. C-SPAN receives no government funding; operations are funded by fees paid by cable and satellite affiliates who carry C-SPAN programming."

–Elizabeth Jensen and Chuck Ross