BROADCASTERS END 2012 WITH A 78% INCREASE IN BLACKOUTS
2013 Can Be Different If Policymakers Act
Washington, D.C. January 2, 2013 – Millions of Americans found themselves in the dark when broadcasters cut off programming 91 times during 2012, a 78% increase over 2011. So much for predictions that consumers would be victim to fewer retrans blackouts. 2013 will be different only if the 113th Congress and the FCC take action.
The facts speak for themselves, and policymakers should listen. Broadcaster blackouts at the expense of consumers are here to stay unless policymakers take action. Retransmission consent rules, more than two decades old, line broadcasters’ pockets rather than protect the interests of the American public. The FCC and the 113th Congress need to make it their New Year’s resolution to protect consumers and change the ’92 Cable Act.
New year, new Congress. How about new rules?
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The American Television Alliance (ATVA) brings together an unprecedented coalition of consumer groups, cable, satellite, telephone companies, and independent programmers to raise awareness about the risk viewers face as broadcasters increasingly threaten service disruptions that would deny viewers access to the programs they and their families enjoy.
For more information about ATVA, visit our website. Follow us on Twitter @ATVAlliance.