DISH Reignites FCC Complaint Against Sinclair, Calls for Immediate Action to Protect Millions of Innocent Consumers from Sinc...
August 26 2015 - 3:48AM
Business Wire
- DISH introduces new facts to assert
Sinclair is violating FCC good faith negotiation requirements
mandated by Congress
- DISH confirms that Sinclair launches
largest channel blackout in U.S. history
- DISH has agreed to all rates and other
terms needed to carry Sinclair local stations
- Sinclair attempting to gain negotiating
leverage for carriage of unrelated cable channel that Sinclair
hopes to acquire but does not own today
- DISH requests that the FCC grant
preliminary injunctive relief to protect consumers
DISH Network L.L.C. renewed a formal complaint with the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) accusing Sinclair Broadcasting of
failing to negotiate in good faith as called for by Congress. DISH
accuses Sinclair of orchestrating the largest blackout in U.S.
television history as a means to force DISH to carry a cable
channel Sinclair hopes to acquire, but does not even own today.
On Tuesday afternoon, Sinclair blacked out DISH customer access
to 129 stations serving 79 markets in 36 states and the District of
Columbia as a contract extension between the two parties
expired.
“We are calling on the FCC to intervene in Sinclair’s senseless
blackout that needlessly punishes consumers despite an agreement on
rates and all other terms for Sinclair’s local stations,” said Jeff
Blum, DISH senior vice president and deputy general counsel.
"Sinclair rejected every opportunity to serve viewers including our
extension offer, which featured a full true-up, and has instead
chosen to use innocent consumers as pawns to gain leverage for a
cable channel it hopes to acquire but does not own today.”
Per DISH’s amended complaint, Sinclair has demanded that, as a
condition to signing the retransmission agreement, DISH agree to
terms and conditions for future carriage of a cable network that
Sinclair hopes to acquire, but does not own today. DISH is
contending that by forcing bundling, Sinclair’s unilateral
bargaining is a per se violation of the Commission’s good faith
rules and is a violation of U.S. competition law.
Amended formal complaint can be read
here:https://dishnetwork.newshq.businesswire.com/document-library/2015-08-26-verified-amended-and-restated-retransmission-complaint-dish-network-llc
DISH is asking the FCC to immediately grant preliminary
injunctive relief while the Commission considers the amended
complaint, and to require Sinclair to negotiate in good faith.
DISH had first filed the Verified Retransmission Complaint
August 15 originally asserting, among other things, that in direct
violation of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules mandated
by the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014 (STELAR), Sinclair had
refused to negotiate with DISH for retransmission consent for
Sinclair’s stations unless DISH also agreed to allow Sinclair to
negotiate for 32 stations that Sinclair does not control and are in
the same markets as Sinclair stations.
DISH also originally charged that in violation of FCC
regulation, Sinclair has assumed a unilateral stance to its
negotiations, including the refusal of a contract extension so the
parties can explore alternative paths toward an agreement.
About DISH
DISH Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiaries,
provides approximately 13.932 million pay-TV subscribers, as of
June 30, 2015, with the highest-quality programming and technology
with the most choices at the best value. Subscribers enjoy a high
definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the
most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR
technology. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 250 company.
Visit www.dish.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150826005424/en/
DISH Network L.L.C.John Hall, 720-514-5351news@dish.com
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