Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has had enough of broadcast blackouts due to carriage disputes.
The agency head has issued two notices of proposed rulemaking to her fellow commissioners aimed at “furthering the FCC’s strategic goal to empower consumers in the media marketplace.”
If adopted by a vote of the full commission, the first proposal would seek comment on whether and how to require cable and satellite TV providers to issue rebates to subscribers in the event of a blackout “due to a failure to reach a retransmission consent agreement with broadcast station(s)/group owners.”
Meanwhile, the second would seek comment on requiring multichannel video program distributors (MVPDs) to notify the FCC of blackouts lasting more than 24 hours due to a “failure to reach a retransmission consent agreement.”