Greedy broadcasters whine about public-interest obligations
September 27th, 2005Broadcasters want to force cable companies to carry the multi-channel (”multicast”) offerings made possible by digital TV. Yet CBS, ABC and NBC are resisting FCC rules that would require multicast stations to show just three hours of children’s programming a week—one of the few minimal restrictions imposed on broadcasters in return for their use of the public airwaves.
The broadcasters are fighting new FCC rules that will take effect Jan. 1, saying the rules would stifle the development of new channels and hobble existing ones. They say they’d have to either move Saturday morning kids’ shows to another time or shift that day’s college football lineup to cable TV.
Oh, yeah—why not get sports fans riled up with some ridiculous threat? If broadcasters want special privileges like mandated cable carriage, they should serve the public.
• Link: USA Today
• Also: On TV, a near blackout of local public-affairs shows
(Campaign Legal Center)