McDowell Studying Multicast Must-Carry, Delaying FCC Meeting
The FCC agenda meeting was delayed because Comr. McDowell wants to study multicast must-carry rules circulating on the 8th floor, said Commission and industry sources. A week into the job, the newest commissioner asked for more time to prepare for the meeting at which a variety of controversial items may be considered (CD June 8 p13). Chmn. Martin’s proposal to reverse 2 previous FCC decisions has drawn congressional and cable wrath. A McDowell aide declined to comment.
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Martin is likely to seek a vote on the order June 21, said Commission staffers. The item could be perhaps the first split vote during his chairmanship, sources said. Comr. Copps said this week that nothing seems to have changed since he voted in 2005 against making cable operators carry all broadcast digital signals (CD June 8 p9). Comr. Adelstein has criticized multicast must-carry.
Boosting Martin’s chances of swaying McDowell, Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska) said he would be “happy” to see the Commission tackle the issue. Stevens backed away from remarks Wed. that the subject should be left to Congress. “It’s going to be a regulation, and it will be subject to consideration by us when we get to the full consideration of the whole digital transition,” he told reporters Thurs.
The FCC has the authority to mandate multicast must- carry, CBS and NBC affiliate executives wrote Stevens and Rep. Barton (R-Tex.). They said almost 700 TV stations transmit multicast signals. Barton’s objections to such a rule aren’t likely to dissuade Martin from pushing ahead with a Commission vote because the congressman has long opposed multicast must-carry, said an industry source.
NCTA renewed its objection to carrying all digital signals. “It would force cable operators to carry many more distinct channels of broadcast programming, thereby overriding many more editorial choices, and use up capacity,” wrote NCTA Pres. Kyle McSlarrow in a letter to Martin and his colleagues.