Capitol Hill

摘要

Congressional Democrats are interested in reforming the 1992 Cable Act provisions regarding retransmissionnconsent, said Guggenheim Partners analyst Paul Gallant in an email Friday. Democrats believenconsumers shouldn't be "penalized when companies cannot agree on retrans prices," Gallant said,nciting comments from Democratic staffers who spoke at the Catholic University Law School communicationsnpolicy symposium hosted by Wiley Rein last week. One Democratic staffer at the event said SenatenCommerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is "concerned that video competition has notnlowered pay TV rates" and the committee will "focus on examining how disruptive technologies couldnbenefit consumers," Gallant said. "Based on the comments we heard yesterday, we think Aereo — as wellnas Google/Apple/Amazon if they decide to get involved — may find a receptive audience among some innCongress for policy recommendations that would help [over-the-top] OTT emerge as an alternative to cablesatellite," he wrote. Republican committee staffers at the event said there will be more hearings in thencoming months to examine the issue and "argued that Congress should not rush into new regulation of thenpay TV sector," Gallant said. "The speakers reinforced our view that Congress is likely to give seriousnconsideration in the next 12-15 months to revising the retrans law and exploring steps aimed at strengtheningnOTT firms like Aereo," Gallant said.