ATVA Statement on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee hearing on Retransmission Consent

ATVA commends Senators John Kerry, John Ensign, Jay Rockefeller and Kay Bailey Hutchinson for holding a hearing on the impact of retransmission consent rules on TV viewers.  When a broadcaster can blackout out millions of viewers for weeks at a time, the system is clearly broken.   Twenty year old government rules have created an artificial market that tips the scales toward broadcasters.   To protect the public interest, it’s time for government to balance the scales and reform outdated laws.  Today’s hearing represents a major step forward and ATVA will continue to work with Congress and the FCC to make the necessary changes to protect consumers.

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 viewers with service disruptions.